A Love or Death Situation
by Kimmytrainer
Summary: Hikaru is told he only has a week left to live, unless he falls in love with someone willing to risk their life for him. Akira has decided to help, disregarding his own feelings. Will they find someone in time? Yaoi, REVIEW PLEASE!
1. Chapter 1

Thanks for reading and please ReViEw!

-Oh, if any of you guys are Yu-Gi-Oh! fans, you should check out HyperFanGirl57's new story, _Puppies are Hard to Handle_. It's really good!

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It was a Monday, Hikaru's favorite day of the week. Being a sixteen-year-old Go pro, he no longer had to go to school, so he played Go every day. So, why is Monday his favorite day, you ask? Simple.

It was the day he had the most time with his rival, Touya Akira.

As per usual, Hikaru arrived at Touya's father's Go salon with a smile on his face.

"Hello, Shindou-san," Ichikawa, the woman at the counter, said. Hikaru went to that particular salon all the time, so he was well known there and got in for free.

"Hi, Ichikawa-san," Hikaru replied as he passed by. He walked to a Go table near the back, where his rival would always be found when he was there. "Hey, Touya."

"Hello, Shindou. Are you ready for another game?"

"Of course. I'm always ready to kick your but."

"You seem to forget that you have yet to defeat me at Go."

"Fine, then let's play."

So, they played a game, and then began their post-game discussion. As usual, what started as a friendly review soon became a fierce argument.

"See, you should have gone here, instead."

"Well, what if I went here? Then I wouldn't have needed to go there." Hikaru pointed to the top-right, and then the center.

"No, that wouldn't work, because then I would have gone here, and all of black's stones in that corner would die," Akira replied, pointing in the middle, near where Hikaru did.

"But then I could sente here, and in two moves, those stones would die." He pointed at the bottom-center.

"No, that wouldn't work, either, because I would have responded here, and cut you off."

"Oh, I get it. Well, then what if I had gone here before you made that move?" Hikaru asked, pointing to the top-left corner.

"Shindou, that wouldn't work. Then I would go in the bottom-right corner, and surround the stones there."

"But I'd go there and stop you."

"Then I'd go there, and all of those stones would die," Akira replied, getting annoyed.

"Oh, I get it. Well, what about here?"

"No, that wouldn't work either. And do you know how many times you've said 'Oh, I get it'? Five times!"

"I have _not_ said it five times!"

"You have!"

"Have not! And you said 'that wouldn't work' at least seven times!"

"I have most certainly not! And that's an insult to yourself!"

"Is not!"

"Is so!"

"I'm leaving!" Hikaru yelled, and then stormed off towards the front counter, where Ichikawa put his bag.

"Fine, go!" Akira yelled back.

Hikaru had just grabbed his bag and was about to walk out the sliding door when he ran into a large figure and fell backwards. Worried, Akira got up and headed towards him.

"Whoa!" Hikaru said, falling on his behind. He looked up and his eyes became wide.

"Gomen, Hikaru, are you okay?" the figure asked, reaching a hand down to help Hikaru up. Hikaru and Touya just stared at the figure, while everyone else stared at Hikaru, not knowing what had happened. "Hikaru?"

Hikaru's eyes were watering. "Is it… really you?" He asked, tentatively.

"Yes, it's me. It's been a while, hasn't it?" the figure replied, helping the boy up. Once he was standing, Hikaru didn't pause for a second before running into the figure's arms.

"Sai," he said, tears running down his face.

"Sai?" Touya exclaimed, looking at the purple-haired man wearing the old Heian Era garb.

Hikaru didn't seem to hear his rival. "Why did you leave?" he asked the ghost. "I thought you weren't coming back…. How are you back?" He took a step backwards and looked into the violet eyes he was so familiar with, even after more than a year of not seeing them.

Sai looked at him sadly. "I left because it was my time. The only reason God let me become a spirit for a thousand more years was so that you could see the game between Touya Meijin and I." Touya looked at him, shocked silent.

"But, what do you mean?" Hikaru asked.

"I was only allowed to stay because you had to see that match and point out the move that both of us missed, the one move that could have changed the winner of the game."

"So… if I had never set that game up…."

"Hikaru, no, that game had to happen. Do not blame yourself for something God decided."

"But…."

"Hikaru, I said it was not your fault."

Hikaru wiped his eyes. "Alright… But, why are you back?"

Sai frowned at the question. "I was sent to give you a message."

"A message? About what?"

Sai's face darkened considerably as he looked into the hazel eyes of his former student. "Apparently, God saw it fit to warn you that…" Sai looked down, not wanting to continue. Not only did he not want to voice the message, but he also didn't want Hikaru's green-haired friend, who he had realized could very much see him, to hear it unless Hikaru himself was the one to tell.

"That…?"

Deciding it needed to be said, he finished, "…that you only have one week left to live." A tear escaped his eye, sliding down his perfect-looking face.

Touya gasped. "What?" He was stunned. He could not believe that his rival was going to die.

Hikaru just looked at Sai with a sad smile, not noticing anyone but the person in front of him.

"Ne, it's okay, Sai," He said softly, wiping the tear off his friend's face. "It's okay."

"No, Hikaru," the ghost replied, holding back more tears. "It's not okay. It's not your time yet."

"But this way I can be with you, right? And we can play Go again." He still had not realized that Touya could see Sai, or that said boy knew what he was talking about.

"No, Hikaru. You must stay here." Sai did not want Akira to get the wrong idea, and he desperately needed Hikaru to see reason.

"But… how?" the boy asked, making the other two feel relieved that their friend did not, in fact, want to die.

"There is a way out of this. If you were to… fall in love with someone, someone who is willing to risk their life for you, then you won't…" Sai didn't want to say it. "…Then fate will be changed. It doesn't matter who, as long as it is a living person," Sai added, unsure of what kind of person Hikaru liked.

"Oh…. Does the person… have to know?"

"I suppose not, but you have to know they love you."

"Oh… okay…"

"And they have to be with you all day a week from today."

"Why?" Hikaru asked.

"Gomen, but I am not allowed to tell you why. I was also told that it would be a bad idea to warn you of this fact, but I feel it is your right to know. If you are to fall in love, the person is going to be… put to the test. That is why they must be willing to risk their life for you; because they very well may have to," Sai said, hoping this fact would not receive a bad reaction.

Hikaru's eyes widened. "So, I'm going to be putting someone else in danger?"

"I do not know, but it is possible. All I can say is that if you find such a person, then neither of you will die from what is to happen on that day."

"But…."

"Hikaru, you must accept this fact. The world still needs you; people here still need you. You have to continue living."

"…."

After listening to the conversation, Touya decided it was his turn to speak. Putting a hand on his rival's shoulder, he said, "Shindou, I will help you find someone."

Hikaru looked at his rival, shocked that he knew what was going on. "Touya…" He realized what had been said, and his look of shock became one of gratitude. "…Thank you."

Touya smiled. "What's life without a rival?" He paused. "Besides… we _are_ friends, you know."

Hikaru blinked, then smiled. "Yeah, we are."

Hating to end the moment, but knowing he had to, Sai interrupted, "Hikaru." Both boys looked at him. "I'm afraid I have to go now."

Hikaru's eyes widened. "Sai, you can't!"

"Gomen, Hikaru, but I must. Just remember two things for me. I will always be with you in your Go, alright?" Hikaru just nodded, eyes watering. "Also, and this is important," he stated, making sure both boys were paying attention. "Don't forget, the person you're looking for may be closer than you think." He glanced at Akira, and then his gaze went back to Hikaru. "Goodbye, Hikaru." He smiled.

The purple-haired ghost started fading away. "Sai, wait!" Hikaru yelled, reaching his hand out and running forward. But it was too late.

"Sai…" Hikaru said, falling to the ground, his hand limp by his side. His shoulders began to shake and his tears fell freely again. "Don't leave me again…."

Touya looked at him sadly. "Shindou…." He knelt down and put a hand on Hikaru's shoulder. Hikaru tensed at the touch, then, realizing it was Touya, turned around and began crying against his shoulder. Touya, slightly surprised, slowly wrapped his arms around his crying friend. "Shindou, it'll be okay," he said softly but surely.

Hikaru shook his head. "No," he said while crying, "it won't. He's gone… Sai is gone, and he left me all alone again."

Touya visibly tensed. "Then… what about me?" The hurt was clear in his voice, and it surprised the blond and black-haired boy. He stopped crying and looked up at his friend, unaware of their closeness. "Are you saying… that I don't count? I said I'd help you, no matter what. Don't you trust me?"

Hikaru looked into Akira's emotion-filled eyes. Behind the overwhelming sadness and hurt, he could see hints of concern, anger, jealousy, and… fear? But, it couldn't be… could it? Hikaru didn't understand all of those emotions, nor did he know the reason behind them. What he did know was that his friend was hurt, and he had caused it.

Understanding that what his friend said was true, and not wanting to loose the now most important person in his life, he said, "Gomen, Touya. I didn't mean that. I wasn't thinking when I said it."

Akira's gaze softened, the sadness and fear turning into gladness and relief, and the anger turning into a look of love. He looked away, not wanting the boy to see how he felt. "It's okay."

Hikaru smiled. "Arigato." He stood up and took Akira's hand to help him up as well, which elicited a light blush from him.

'_He's so cute when he blushes,'_ Hikaru thought, fondly. _'Wait, did I just call Akira _cute_?' And did I just call him _Akira_? Well, it's okay to call him that in my mind, right?'_

"Ne, are you guys okay?" Ichikawa asked. The two boys looked at her, and then realized that no one else had seen Sai, so they had no idea what was going on.

"Uh… yeah," Hikaru said. "I am." _'At least, I think so,'_ he thought. "Touya, are you?"

"Yes. Thank you for asking. And we're sorry about that. It's nothing to worry about or take note of. Really," Akira added.

"Oh, you're welcome," Ichikawa replied, blushing. Touya and Hikaru then said that they had to leave, and headed out the door and across the street, just incase someone had left right after them.

"Are you sure you're alright, though?" Akira asked Hikaru, worried.

"Yeah," he replied.

"You better be. My life would be boring without you."

"Touya, your life is already boring."

"Hey!"

"Relax, it was just a joke!"

Touya gritted his teeth to stay quiet and then took a deep breath. "This is serious, you know."  
>"Yeah, I know." Hikaru sighed. Then he looked up. "I have an idea!"<p>

"What is it?"

"Not telling! But can you meet me in front of the Go Institute tomorrow at two?"

"I have a match at noon, but I should be done a couple hours after. Will you be mad if I'm a bit late?" Touya asked.

"Nah, I'm sure I can find something to do. Besides, I'm friends with some of the insei, so I can say hi to them."

"Alright. Well, how about we meet at two-thirty, and if I'm not there, you can go see your friends, and if you're not there, I'll assume your with them."

"Okay," Hikaru replied. "I gotta go, or Mom will worry. See you tomorrow, Touya!" He turned around and began walking, waving back at his friend.

"Alright. Bye, Shindou!" Akira said, smiling and waving in reply.

Please **_REVIEW!_**


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, a Tuesday, showed sunny weather as Akira waited outside in front of the Go Institute. He was running early, so he still had five minutes until the time he was supposed to meet Hikaru.

The day before, the blond and black-haired Go pro had been old by his former teacher, Sai, that he had only a week to live, unless he fell in love, and quite frankly, it unnerved Akira. He was very worried about his friend. Loosing Shindou was something he knew he would not be able to handle, and it wasn't just because they were rivals. _'No,'_ Akira thought._ 'Hikaru and I are closer than that. We are closer than friends, even. Or at least, we _could_ be. Except, I don't think he would want that.'_ Akira had been calling Hikaru by his first name in his mind for some time now, and had already realized his feelings for the boy. _'I will have to give them up, though, when he finds someone else.'_

He then saw Hikaru approaching, as promised, since it was two-thirty. "Touya! You're here!" Hikaru said as he stopped next to his friend, panting. His hand was on Touya's shoulder to balance himself as he leaned forward, trying to get his breathing back to normal.

"What happened? You look like you just ran a marathon."

"I was running late, and didn't want you to go inside to look for me if I wasn't going to be there, so I ran the whole way here," Hikaru answered after he caught his breath.

"Ah. Well, where are we going, Mr. Bright Idea?"

"I'll show you. Come on!" He pulled on Akira's hand, apparently having regained all his energy, and began running towards their destination.

"Shindou, hold on! We don't have to run there!" Akira yelled.

"Well, I told Waya we'd be there in five minutes!"

"Waya?" He asked. He didn't like the brown-haired pro very much, and he didn't know why they were meeting with him anyway.

"Yeah, so, come on! We have to run or we'll be late!" He continued to drag the taller boy along by the hand. _'It feels nice to hold Akira's hand,'_ Hikaru noted to himself.

'_Hikaru, don't let go,'_ Akira thought. '_I don't want to be alone, either, and I hope you won't leave me so… Although, if it's to save your life, I'd ignore my own feelings in a heartbeat in order to help yours along, even if you love someone else….'_

When they finally got to Waya's apartment, the sky was cloudy, and they were both breathing heavily. Touya leaned against the wall, and Hikaru leaned his head on Touya's shoulder after ringing the doorbell. Evidently, the redness of the green-haired boy's face wasn't only from running.

Waya chose that moment to answer the door. He stared at the two boys for a moment, until Hikaru stopped leaning on Touya. "Shindou, hey. I didn't know _he_ was coming," Waya said, pointing at Akira.

"Yeah, well, this is important, and he had to come." Hikaru told the brunette. "Is Isumi here?"

"Yeah. We were just reviewing a game, actually."

"May we come in now?" Normally, Akira would wait to be invited, but since it was Waya, he didn't mind being a _little_ impolite.

Waya looked over to Akira, and then notice the latter boy's and Hikaru's joined hands and smirked. Deciding to keep his comments to himself until Isumi saw it, he said, "Of course," and led them to the living room, where Isumi was waiting. "Isumi?" Waya said.

"Yes?" Isumi replied. He looked up and noticed the two other boys. "Oh, hello, Shindou, Touya."

"Hello to you, too," Akira said, polite as ever.

"Hey, Isumi," Hikaru said.

"Shindou, why did we come here?" He looked at his rival.

"I thought they could help."

"I told you I'd help you." The jealousy was obvious in Akira's voice.

"Well, they can help, too."

"…."

"…."

"Fine…."

"Good."

"Well, obviously, they, or rather, Shindou, needs our help with something," Waya said.

"Oh, okay. What do you need help… with…?" Isumi trailed off, noticing Akira and Hikaru's linked hands. "Uh… why are you guys holding hands?"

They both looked at their hands and blushed, letting go immediately.

"Gomen, Touya. I forgot I grabbed your hand," Hikaru said.

Akira looked towards the floor, away from Hikaru, trying to hide his blush. "It's okay…."

Waya smirked. "So—"

"What was this problem of yours?" Isumi interrupted, giving Waya a look that said, _don't bother them about it._

"Well… someone told me that I only have a week left to live…" Hikaru started.

"WHAT?" Isumi and Waya both screamed.

"…Unless I fall in love with someone who would risk their life for me."

"…Huh?" Waya asked.

"What does that have to do with it?" Isumi asked.

"Well, Sai said—"

"Shindou!" Touya yelled. Hikaru realized what he said and quickly covered his mouth.

Waya's eyes were wide. Then Isumi asked, "Who's Sai?"

This got Waya's attention. '"He's that really famous NetGo player. No one knows who he is. Except, apparently, Shindou and Touya." He glared at them.

Hikaru looked down.

"Waya, that's not fair. He has a reason for not telling anyone," Touya defended his friend.

"And what about you?"

"I just found out yesterday, and I still don't know the whole story!"

"Well, then, let's hear it, Shindou!" Waya was obviously angry.

"…."

"We're waiting."

"…Fine, but you'd better not tell."

"Whatever."

"…I guess I'd better start at the beginning. I _do_ hope I can trust you guys, because I don't need to be sent to some mental asylum." Waya just stood there, arms crossed, while Isumi and Touya just looked between the two. "Well… It started when I went to my grandfather's shed one day with Akari, looking for something to sell. There was an old Go board, Torajiro's Go board. I was tring to wipe off some stains I saw, but they wouldn't come off. Then, a voice asked if I could see the stains and hear him, and I said 'yes' to both. Then, there was a bright light, and… Sai was there."

"Your saying he came from some guy's Go board?" Waya asked, disbelieving.

"Yeah. Sai was a thousand-year-old ghost who taught the emperor and was banished for cheating in an important match, even though it was the other guy who cheated. He was so distraught that he… drowned himself…. Then his spirit lived on in the Go board for centuries until Torajiro, or I guess you would know him as Shuusaku, got the board." The three other teens' eyes were wide in shock. "He let Sai play all of his Go games, when he died, Sai went back to the Go board. For some reason, I was bale to see Torajiro's bloodstains when no one else could, so he came to me. He's the one who taught me Go, four years ago. But, once I learned, I never let him play enough Go…." Hikaru looked down.

"So, what you're saying is that Sai is a one-thousand-year-old ghost known as Shuusaku?"

"Yeah. Sai was the best…." Hikaru smiled, sadly. "He loved Go so much. That's why I let him play NetGo. But… he still couldn't touch the stones… I'm sure he can touch them now, wherever he is…." A tear slid down his face.

"Hikaru…" Akira said, reaching a hand up to wipe the tear off of his friend's face. The three other boys looked at him, shocked.

"Did you… just call me…?"

Touya's eyes widened. "Ah… I suppose I did." He composed himself. "Gomen, I didn't realize I said it…." He was blushing again. "Don't worry, though, I won't do it again."

"No, I like—" Hikaru stopped himself, blushing. Touya was looking at him, surprised. The bleached-blond looked down, nervous. "I like it when you call me that," he said softly.

Touya smiled, looking like he was glowing. "Alright, Hikaru. Then you can call me Akira." Hikaru looked up at the green-haired beauty before him and smiled back.

"Okay, Akira, I'll do that."

Waya glanced at Isumi, smirking, and then looked back at the other two. "Hey, you two are acting like a couple. _Hikaru_, maybe _Akira_'s the one you're supposed to fall in love with. Oh, I'm _sorry_, I'm not supposed to call you guys that. It doesn't sound as _loving_ coming from me."

"He doesn't like me like that," Touya said at the same time Hikaru said, "It doesn't sound loving coming from me, either!"

Waya and Isumi raised their eyebrows.

"See?" Akira said.

Waya sighed and shrugged, raising his hands, palms up. "I beg to differ, but if that's the way you see it…."

"Oi, Waya, mind your own business!" Hikaru yelled.

"Hey, you made this my business by coming to me. I'm just trying to help."

"Well, you aren't helping!"

"Waya, Hikaru," Akira said, "calm down. There's no reason to yell."

"Stay out of this, Touya!" the two yelled. Akira only seemed to hear Hikaru, though, and a look of hurt flashed over his face before it turned to anger.

"I will _not_ stay out of this, _Shindou_!" Hikaru flinched, subtly. "This is about me, too!"

"Yeah, well, it doesn't have to be!"

Akira continued to hide his sadness behind his anger. "Actually, it does, because I told you I'd help you no matter what!"

"Well, I don't need your help! And I certainly don't need you!"

This time, Akira couldn't keep the hurt look off his face. He felt as if his heart had been stabbed. His hair fell over his eyes and he laughed emptily. "Heh. Of course you don't. I don't know what I was thinking, hoping I could help you. I'm such an idiot." He turned around and began walking towards the door. As he opened it, he muttered, loud enough for the others to hear him, "No one ever needs _me_." Then he walked out and closed the door, leaving a path of destruction behind him.

The three other teens stared at the door, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Then, Isumi and Waya turned to Hikaru, Isumi saying, "How could you say that to him?"

But Shindou wasn't listening. He was staring at the door, a look of despair and self-loathing in his eyes and tears streaming down his face.

"Shindou…" Waya said. He and Isumi looked at the other boy sorrowfully.

"No, _I'm_ the idiot, Akira," Hikaru whispered. His tears wouldn't stop.

"Shindou, go after him," Isumi said. Hikaru looked at him.

"Do it, Shindou. He needs you, and you know damn well you need him, too. So go," Waya said.

"Hurry, before it's too late."

Shindou stared at them for a moment longer, and then nodded, wiping his face on his sleeve and hoping his tears had stopped, yet feeling too numb to actually be able to tell. He walked to the door, and as soon as it was opened, he ran outside after Akira.

'_I'm so sorry, Akira,'_ he thought, running down the stairs. If his friend had taken the elevator, he might be able to catch him before he left the parking lot. When he got to the bottom, however, Akira was nowhere in sight. _'Where are you?'_

He ran to the end of the parking lot and looked both ways, seeing if he could see his rival. As he looked to the right, he saw a glimpse of green turning a corner. He then ran that way after the person, hope overflowing in his heart.

The clouds that had gathered earlier were now dark gray, and just as Hikaru got to the end of the block, it started to rain, soaking his clothes within ten seconds. He just ignored it and continued running, needing to catch up with his friend. As he turned the corner at the end of the next block, he saw him. The other boy was just as soaked as him, and he had stopped in the middle of the block. Hikaru noticed, as he got closer, that the other boy's shoulders were shaking.

"Akira!" he yelled. Touya turned around to see him, his eyes red, and Hikaru kept running 'til he reached him, hugging him hard. Akira stiffened at the contact. "I'm so sorry, Akira! I didn't mean it, I swear! I was just angry, and I yelled at you without thinking…. I'm really, really sorry….**" **Hikaru looked into Akira's eyes. _"_I _do_ need you. I really, truly _do._ And I'm sorry for saying otherwise."

"Hikaru…" Akira said, unsure what to say. He noticed that Hikaru's eyes were red as well. _'Was he crying? But _I'm_ the one who was yelled at. Why did he cry? Unless he really _didn't_ mean it….'_ Akira looked deep into those hazel, red-rimed eyes, and saw so many emotions that he couldn't even name them all. The most powerful, though, were regret and concern.

"Akira…. Please, _please_ forgive me?" he closed his eyes and hugged Akira closer, putting his head on the other's shoulder.

Akira slowly relaxed, and hugged Hikaru back. "Okay, Hikaru… I forgive you. But, try not to do this again. It's the second time in two days." He smiled, and he could feel Hikaru's smile against his shoulder.

A minute later, after realizing that they were getting poured on and would probably catch a cold, Akira said, "Let's head back. We'll get sick if we stay here any longer." Hikaru nodded against him, and they let go of each other, each taking a step back. Then, suddenly, Hikaru grabbed Akira's hand and tried to pull him along with him. Akira had been expecting it, though, because he pulled back, just as hard. "No, I'm not running this time. Let's just walk. Besides, it's not raining as hard anymore."

"Fine," Hikaru said, not letting go of Akira's hand.

As they continued walking, hand in hand, Akira said, "I need you, too, Hikaru." They both smiled and continued on their way.

Please **_REVIEW!_**


	3. Chapter 3

After Hikaru and Akira made it back to Waya's on Tuesday, they all sat down, along with Isumi, to come up with a plan.

"We could go to an arcade!" Hikaru said.

"Shindou, there aren't very many girls at arcades, and if there are, they're normally gothic, not to be stereotypical or anything," Waya said.

"What about… hmm… we could go to the movies!"

"And _how_ would you meet a girl there if you were busy watching a movie? You have to _find _the girl before you take her out."

"Right…."

"What about the mall?" Touya asked, surprising the others.

"Now, _that's_ a good idea," Isumi said. "Lots of girls hang out at the mall."

"Yeah. Thanks, Akira. You're actually a big help," Hikaru said.

"Oh, _thanks_, Hikaru. That's a _great_ compliment," Akira replied sarcastically.

"I didn't know you could be sarcastic," Waya said.

"Well, I can, so do we agree?"

"Sure," Hikaru said, and the other two nodded.

"You really are helpful, though," Isumi said.

"Well, as much as I don't want to be, I promised Hikaru I would," Akira responded.

"Wait, you don't want to help me?" Hikaru asked.

Akira then realized what he had said. "No, I mean, well… that's not what I meant…."

"What _did_ you mean?" Waya asked. He had a feeling he knew, but wanted to get Akira to say it himself.

"I meant…" he sighed. "I'd really rather not tell you what I meant, actually."

"Come on, Akira. That's no fair!" Hikaru whined.

"It's perfectly fair. If I don't want to share my feelings, then I won't."

"Ah ha! Feelings about what, Touya?" Waya interrupted.

Akira blushed and looked down. He gritted his teeth, and decided to just say it. "I meant that I don't want to help… because I don't want you to fall in love with someone else. Okay? There, I said it. Interrogation time is over!" He got up and walked toward the door, avoiding Hikaru's questioning gaze. "Are we leaving or what?"

"Not quite yet, actually," Isumi said, looking at Waya.

"Yeah, so come back. We have something else to talk about," Waya said. Touya sighed and went back to his seat. "Okay. Now, Shindou, how do you interpret what Touya just said?"

"What? Oh…. Um… I dunno… I don't know what he meant. I mean, he doesn't want me to fall in love with someone _else_? Then who's the person who isn't the _else_?" Hikaru asked, clueless.

"Wow, Shindou, I congratulate you on your stupidity."

"Hey!"

"Well, it's really obvious. You're either dense or in denial," Isumi said. "No offense, of course."

"Hey! It's too late. And in denial about _what_?"

"Your own feelings, duh," Waya said.

Hikaru frowned and crossed his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Akira was just sitting in his seat next to Hikaru, fighting to keep the blush off his face. It wasn't helping that he was nearly pressed against the other boy on the couch.

"I _mean_, what are your feelings for Touya?" Hikaru looked at him, puzzled. Waya sighed.

"_He_ means do you like Touya?" Isumi asked, and Akira couldn't keep the redness off his face. He crossed his arms over his legs and laid his forehead over them.

"Akira? Of course I do. We _are_ friends," Hikaru said, still oblivious.

"Not like that! Do you like _like_ him?" Hikaru looked back at Waya, confused.

Akira couldn't take this anymore. He could just _feel_ the look on Hikaru's face. Fed up, he lifted his head and said, red faced, "They're trying to ask if you like me romantically!"

"…."

"…."

"WHAT?" Hikaru practically yelled.

Akira buried his face in his hands. "I _told_ you guys he didn't! Can't you just _listen_ to me for once?"

"Well, technically, he didn't say he _doesn't_…" Isumi said.

"I'm not gay, you guys!" Hikaru interrupted.

The three looked at him. "See?" Akira said, looking at Isumi, then Waya. His eyes looked empty, except for a great sadness, and the two could clearly see that he was heartbroken. "May I leave? I already gave you an idea, and you know I'm practically socially impaired, so I have no reason to stay any longer."

They looked at him sadly. "Okay, Touya, you can go," Isumi said. "We probably won't go today, anyway, since it's pouring and Shindou is soaked."

"Alright, but I trust you'll help him in my place for now."

"Of course. We'll contact you later about this, okay?"

"Very well. Goodbye." Akira turned around, but not before Isumi saw tears begin to run down his face.

"Ne, Akira, are you okay?" Hikaru asked, concerned. He hadn't seen the tears, but he noticed that his friend's voice sounded strange.

"Yes, I'll be fine." He continued to face towards the door, away from Hikaru.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Oh… Okay… Will we see you tomorrow?"

"I suppose it depends on how it goes today."

"Okay… Well, see you…" Hikaru said. He was sad to see his friend go.

"Bye," Akira replied. He had carefully placed his shoes so they would catch the tears falling off his face, so there would be no evidence of his crying in Waya's apartment. Even though the boy had just broken his heart, he did not want to worry Hikaru.

Now, as he took a step, a tear landed on the floor, and he quickly lifted his sleeve to wipe his face, so no more would fall to the ground.

Hikaru didn't notice the tear, but Waya and Isumi did. They sorrowfully watched him leave, knowing that he believed his chance to be completely nonexistent.

As Akira closed the door behind him, he stopped for a second to try do get his tears to stop. _'My tears are like a waterfall,'_ Akira thought. _'They won't stop.'_ Empty hearted, he continued walking until he was outside. For once he was grateful for the rain. No one would know he was crying. He then headed towards his house, not feeling any worse because of the dreary weather.

Back in the apartment, Isumi said, "Okay, so the plan is to meet here at three tomorrow and then go to the mall. School doesn't end for most kids until around then, so there won't be any girls your age until then."

"Right," Waya said.

"But I think Akira has a game then," Hikaru commented.

"But you heard him. He doesn't care to go anyway."

"He said he'd help, right?"

"Yeah, but he probably thinks he'll get in the way," Isumi said, knowing that that wasn't the full truth. Obviously, Touya would get upset if he had to watch Hikaru flirt with and possibly ask a girl out.

"Oh… okay…" Hikaru said.

"Hey, Shindou, you should probably head out soon before it rains any harder," Waya said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"But first, we have a question to ask you."

"What?"

"Have you ever liked anyone before? You know, so we can compare the girls we see."

"…No, I haven't, actually. At least, I don't think I have," Hikaru responded.

Waya frowned. "Then how do you know you aren't gay?"

"Because I've never liked guys either!"

"So? Maybe you just haven't met one you like? Or maybe you really _are_ in denial."

"Am not."

"Shindou, you can't be sure," Isumi said. "Besides, I know a guy who really likes you."

Hikaru blushed a bit. "Who?"

"Not telling. It wouldn't be fair to him. Besides, if you don't know yet, you're pretty oblivious. That means there's no reason you'd realize your own feelings, either, right?" Hikaru just looked at him.

"Ne, Shindou? Earlier, when I saw you with Akira, you seemed pretty comfortable leaning on him and holding his hand," Waya commented.

Hikaru blushed. "Yeah, well… that's different."

"Different how?"

"I don't know. Just different. It doesn't feel the same when I do that to other people. But I don't like Akira that way."

"You blush a lot when he's around, or when you're asked about him, and you like holding his hand and being near him, and you like hearing him call you by your first name, yet you don't like him _that way_. Are you sure?" Isumi said. He knew Hikaru just wasn't understanding. Too bad the blonde and black-haired boy was so stubborn about some stuff.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, I have to go or Mom will worry. I told her I'd be back for dinner," Hikaru said, ending the conversation.

"Fine, then you'd better hurry," Waya said. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Shindou," Isumi said.

"Bye Isumi, bye Waya," Hikaru replied, standing up and heading for the door. He opened it and took a look at the rain, before sighing and leaving, closing the door behind him.

"Wow. I didn't know he was so dense," Waya said.

"I hate to say it, but I agree. It's obvious that Touya loves him, and equally obvious he has feelings for Touya," Isumi said. "If he'd just realize that, we wouldn't have to agree with all of this, we wouldn't have to waste this time, and no one would have to get so hurt. This has a really bad effect on Touya."

"Yeah. Normally, I'd say I didn't care, but the jerk was _crying_. Did you see his eyes before he left? They looked _empty._"

"Yeah. We have to do something about this. Let's play along for now, and when Shindou realizes he can't find any girls he likes at the mall, maybe he'll notice his feelings."

"I hope so, or this will be very difficult," Waya said, leaving back in his chair.

"Yeah, it will. But I don't think thinking about this will get us anywhere. Want to play another game?" Isumi asked.

"Sure. Let's play." They got out the Go board and stones, and started another game, trying to distract themselves from the reality of the situation.

Meanwhile, Akira arrived home, sopping wet. His mother saw him and went ballistic.

"Akira, why are you so soaked? Didn't you bring an umbrella?" Touya-san asked.

"Yes. I forgot about it," Akira replied.

"Well, here's a towel. Go change and dry off."

"Alright."

Then Touya-san noticed her son's eyes. "Akira, your eyes are red. Were you crying?" Akira looked down, ashamed of his actions. "Oh, honey, what happened?"

Akira looked up at her, the sadness in his eyes overwhelming. Noticing this, she gasped.

"Don't worry. I'll get over it," Akira said, trying to sound convincing. He doubted it was true, though.

"Akira, I'm sorry, but I can't say I believe that." She was clearly worried sick. "Tell me what happened."

"Well…" he tried to start.

"Hold on, I'm going to call your father in. You go change and then come back down." Touya-san went to call Kouyo to the living room.

Akira went upstairs to change, finding some nice slacks and a long sleeve shirt and sweater and putting them on, then laying his wet clothes out to dry. He used the towel to dry his hair, then brushed it and washed his face, trying to get rid of the evidence of his crying. He looked in the mirror, and, deciding he could do no more about it, headed downstairs.

"Akira, come into the living room. I made some hot tea," Touya-san said. Akira walked into the room and sat down on one of the cushions, looking down.

"Akira, look at me," Kouyo said. Akira looked up into his father's eyes, showing him the great sadness within. "What is wrong?"

"I… I was made painfully aware today that... Hikaru does not…" he trailed off. He was afraid to tell his parents that he was in love with another boy, afraid of how they would react.

"Does not return your feelings?" Touya-san offered, startling her son. Akira's head flew up. He looked at his mother, shocked.

"How did you…?"

"Akira, we've known for some time how you feel about Shindou-kun," Kouyo said.

Akira's eyes widened even more, if that was possible, as he looked at his father.

"But, are we correct?" Akira's mother asked.

"…Yes." Akira tried to withhold his tears, but they refused to listen, instead flowing down his face like rivers.

"Honey," Touya-san said, moving to hug her son close. He continued to cry on her shoulder. "It will get better. I promise." She herself had had multiple heartbreaks in her life, and had eventually found and married the love of her life and had a son. She knew it would get better, because her son would get over his crush and fall for someone else.

Akira just shook his head at the comment. "No, you don't understand. I… I love him," he got out. "And he… he doesn't like me that way, but he has to find someone _else_ to love in six days or… or…" he couldn't finish.

"Or…?" Kouyo said, trying to help his son along.

"…Or he's going to die."

The two adult's eyes widened. "Akira, how do you know this?"

Akira lifted his head. "We were told by a ghost. Sai, to be more precise." He knew he could not lie to his parents.

"Sai told you?" Kouyo didn't seem very surprised. _'Did he know Sai was a ghost?'_ Akira thought. _'That would explain why he always sits in front of the Go oard with only one piece played, I suppose.'_

"Yes. And Hikaru only has until Monday to live if he doesn't fall in love with someone who will risk their life for him. And… I promised I'd help him, no matter what."

Akira's parent's looked at their son, somewhat understanding how he must have been feeling. "So, you have to meet with him, soon?"

"Yes. Isumi said he'd tell me what he and Hikaru and Waya decided after I left. I assume they're going to the mall tomorrow. I have a game, but I told them I didn't need to go with them. I don't _want_ to go with them. I'm not sure I could handle it." Akira's tears had finally stopped, but his eyes were bright red and felt dry. "I do hope he finds someone, though. I want him to live for a long time, whether I'm there or not…. But the person had better be willing to risk their life for him. Sai told us they would be put to the test, and could get hurt, badly, but neither would die if the person succeeded."

"Akira," his mother said, moving back. "Would you want to be this person? Even though you know they will probably get hurt? "

Akira looked up at her. "Of course," he said, certain. "I love him. I'd do anything for him." His eyes were now filled with determination.

Kouyo looked at his son. He was surprised he could feel such a way about another person at such a young age. He wasn't sure anymore that his son would get over Hikaru. "Akira, you know, sometimes a person's feelings can be changed. You look so determined now. It is right to help your friend in any way you can, but it is also right to try your best to make yourself happy."

Akira tried to smile at his father. "I know. I'll try."

His father smiled back, along with his mother. Somehow, they knew it would turn out alright.

Please **_REVIEW!_**


	4. Chapter 4

It was now Wednesday, the third day of the seven they were granted to find someone for Hikaru to fall in love with. Waya had been deeply frustrated with the boy when he refused to admit that he liked Akira. It was obvious to he and Isumi, so why couldn't the two involved notice that they had feelings for each other? But, he eventually gave up. Waya, Hikaru, and Isumi agreed to meet again today at three, since miraculously, none of them were busy. Akira, however, had a game, so he couldn't go. Not that he'd _want_ to go to the mall to watch the love of his life try to fall in love with some random girl. Waya knew at least that.

Once they had all met up in front of the Tokyo Station, Waya said, "Okay, now, today we need to look around until Shindou sees someone he deems worthy to be his girlfriend. Which is pretty much anyone." He laughed.

"Hey!" Hikaru yelled.

"Hey, Shindou, what about that girl you used to hang out with? Akari-san, was it?" Isumi said.

"Yeah, but I don't like her that way, and I already told her when she confessed," Hikaru admitted.

"Oh, okay."

"He's already told us he's never liked anyone, so I guess that would include her," Waya said.

"Yeah, so let's go!" Hikaru said, and led them inside the mall. "Wow, this place is big!" he said once inside.

"Haven't you been here before?" Waya asked.

"Yeah, but that was a while ago, and I don't remember it much. Akira was with me, though. I know something funny happened, because I remember he was laughing." He thought for a moment, pointer finger on his chin, then frowned.

"Why the frown? Is thinking too much for you?" Waya joked.

"No! I just was trying to remember what happened…."

"Why were you here with Touya, anyway?" Isumi questioned.

"I brought him here to get him a _normal_ outfit. I practically had to drag him here, and then he wouldn't even buy one."

"Why?"

"Because he's _Touya_, duh," Waya said.

"I _meant_, why were you trying to get him a normal outfit?"

"I think he said he wanted to go to the arcade with me," Hikaru replied.

"_Touya_ said he wanted to go to an _arcade_?" Waya asked, unbelieving.

"No, Touya said he wanted to go to an arcade _with Shindou_," Isumi answered.

"Right." Waya smirked. "So did you go?"

"Yeah. You know, he's pretty good at most of the games. Except Dance Dance Revolution. He sucks at that. He said he had a bad experience when he was little. Anyway, he ended up falling. Luckily, I caught him before he fell off the stage," Hikaru said.

Waya's smirk grew, and Isumi smiled. "Yeah, that is _lucky__**. **_Those stages are pretty tall, so you wouldn't want him to hit his head or anything if he fell off," the older boy said.

"Right," Waya said. "Anyway, now that we know that Touya likes being held by Shindou, we should probably focus on finding Shindou a girlfriend, right?" He looked at Hikaru, who seemed to be spacing out. "Shindou?"

"Huh, what?" Hikaru said.

"I _said_, we need to find you a girlfriend."

"Right… okay, let's go."

"You don't sound very enthusiastic," Isumi noted.

"Oh… don't I?"

"Not at all," Waya said. He looked at Hikaru, faking suspicion. "Are you _sure_you wouldn't rather go out with Touya than try to find some girl and fall in love with her?"

"Yes! I told you, I'm straight!" Hikaru yelled. He got a lot of looks thrown at him by random people who were walking by.

Isumi and Waya sighed. "Alright, then let's get going."

"Okay, now, where to?" Hikaru looked around. "Oh, look, Hot Topic! Let's go there!" He began to make a beeline for the store, but Waya grabbed his hood.

"Hold it! You're forgetting why we came here!"

"Am not! I just wanted to take a quick peek!"

"Maybe later, _after _we find you a girlfriend," Isumi said.

"Fine… but can we at least go before we leave, girl or not?" Hikaru pleaded.

"We'll see."

"Okay… then let's go that way!" Hikaru pointed left, and began walking, only to walk right into Ogata Juudan. "Whoa!" He fell backwards and was caught by Waya and Isumi.

"You okay?" Waya asked.

"Yeah… But that's the second time that's happened in three days…." Hikaru stood up straight, and then turned to look at Ogata. "Gomenasai, Ogata-sensei."

"It's alright, Shindou," the man said as Hikaru bowed. "Anyway, I was looking for you."

"Me? Why?"

"I heard what happened in Touya-sensei's Go salon."

Hikaru paled. "Wh-what?"

"Apparently you were talking with Sai."

"Uh…" Hikaru looked at his two friends behind him for help.

"Uh… Who's Sai, again?" Isumi tried, receiving a glare from both of his friends for the failed effort.

"He's a NetGo player, and if my suspicion is correct, he's also Shindou's teacher," Ogata said.

"He is not!" Hikaru said, loudly.

"Oh really? Well, I know you know him. I heard what you said to Touya-sensei."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me," the adult replied harshly, startling the three boys.

"I've told you before, I don't know Sai!"

"Yes, you do, and I need you to set up a game between us."

"I can't!" As he said that, Hikaru reached behind him and tapped Waya, pointing behind them all.

"Why not?" Ogata asked. Hikaru put three fingers up behind his back, and, getting the message, Waya nudged Isumi to look.

"Because I don't know him!" Waya tapped Hikaru's hand, and he started putting his fingers down, one by one.

…3…

""Stop denying it!"

…2…

"I'm not!"

…1…

"You are—"

"Run!" Hikaru interrupted Ogata and turned around as his two friends did, and they ran for it.

"Hey, wait!" Ogata yelled angrily after getting over his surprise. As the three boys ran around people, Ogata followed them, running into the crowd. They continued to charge down the huge walkway on the right side of the mall, past the stores on either side, ignoring people's yells of "Oi!" and "What do you think you're doing?"

As a bench appeared before the three, Isumi and Waya went around either side, and Hikaru managed to jump it. Ogata, however, was not so lucky, and he tripped over it, falling onto the ground. Then, as he tried to get up, another man bumped into him and he fell to the side, straight into the fountain. As he stood up, sopping wet, he saw the three boys run out the door of the mall.

"Damn it!"

"Oh, man, that was close!" Waya said.

"Yeah, but did you _see_ that? He fell in the fountain!" Hikaru said, then laughed.

"Shindou, it's not funny," Isumi said.

"Yeah, it is," the partial blonde replied, and Waya laughed, receiving a glare from his taller friend.

"No, it's _not_."

"It _is_, Isumi," Waya said, then he and Hikaru laughed again, remembering the event.

Isumi frowned, then remembered it himself. "Okay, fine, maybe it is." The other two boys grinned, and Isumi followed suit.

"So, now that we can't go back in there, where should we go?" Hikaru asked.

"I don't know, but we should probably get away from here," Waya said.

"I agree," Isumi spoke. "But, Shindou, does Ogata-sensei do that a lot?"

"Yeah. At least twice before. It's really annoying. Besides, I can't tell him about Sai. He wouldn't believe me." Hikaru frowned.

"You're probably right… which means we should go."

"Yeah, and when we go home, we can check YouTube to see if someone got Ogata falling into the fountain on video."

Isumi sighed. "But that's _after._ Now, where to?"

"Can't we just skip this for the day and go to the arcade? We can go back to the mall tomorrow," Hikaru said.

"No. Shindou, you have less than five days to fall in _love_. It's not that easy, and it might even be impossible. We don't have time for that."

"I agree with both of you," Waya piped up. "We can go to the arcade _and_ look for a girl."

"Yeah, let's do that!" Hikaru said excitedly. Isumi sighed again.

"Okay, but if we don't see any girls there, we're leaving."

"Alright, now, let's go!"

So, they started to head towards the arcade and away from the fuming Ogata.

Meanwhile, Akira had just won his game, and was on the elevator in the Go Association, about to leave. When the doors opened, he stepped out of the elevator, only to see Ogata, whose hair and clothes were wet.

"Ogata-sensei, hello," Akira said. "Why are you…?"

"Hello, Touya. Actually, I came here looking for you, and I didn't think I had time to go home and change," was the response from a finally calm Ogata.

"Ah… And why did you need to see me?"

"Has Shindou told you anything about Sai?"

Akira's eyes widened. "Wh-what?"

Ogata raised an eyebrow. "I assume by your worried reaction that he did?"

"Uh… no, he didn't. I'm just… surprised you think he has something to do with Sai."

"Really, now…. I'm not sure I believe that."

"Uh…."

"So, what did he tell you?"

"Um… that he doesn't know him…?"

"Touya, I need to know. Just tell me."

"Uh… sorry, but I have to go, or I'll be late. Bye, Ogata-sensei," Akira said, walking quickly around Ogata and out the door.

Ogata sighed. _'He obviously knows something. Why won't they just tell me?'_

At the same time, Akira was thinking, _'He should give it up. I'll never tell him while Hikaru doesn't want him to know. Speaking of him, I wonder where he is… they said they were going to the mall, but the arcade would be easier to check, and it's on the way. I think I'll go there first.'_ Akira then started walking the couple blocks toward his destination.

Back at the arcade, three teens were walking through the doors into the room that was lit up only with game screens, colorful lasers, and random darkened lights.

"Okay, first thing's first," Isumi said. "_Shindou_ has to find a girl he likes."

"Unless he stops being in denial," Waya added.

"I'm not in denial!" Hikaru yelled.

"Anyway, let's look around."

-5 minutes later-

"Shindou, that was the _fourth_ guy you thought was a cute girl. Are you _sure _you aren't gay? We wont judge you or anything," Waya said.

"I told you, I'm straight! So stop it already!" Hikaru yelled, only receiving a couple glances this time.

Was it Waya, or was Hikaru becoming less convincing every time he said that? Maybe he was unsure?

"Hey, hun," a guy with long blue hair said to Hikaru, interrupting Waya's thoughts. "You're hot. Wanna go get a drink with me?"

Hikaru just stared at him. Why did this keep happening? "Sorry, no, I'm already with my friends. Let's go, guys."

The blue-haired guy just shrugged. "Suit yourself." He then turned around and walked off towards the room with the bar.

As Hikaru turned around, he came face to face with Akira. "Hey, hun," Akira copied. "You're hot. Wanna go play a game with me?"

Hikaru, Isumi, and Waya just stared at Akira, shocked at what he just said. "Um… You don't mean that, right, Akira?" Hikaru asked warily.

"Which part?" Akira replied.

"Shindou, I think he meant it," Waya said.

Seeing the look on Hikaru's face, Akira couldn't help but chuckle. "Relax, I was just copying that guy. I'm obviously not one to talk like that."

"…Right…" Hikaru said. For some reason, he was slightly disappointed, but he didn't know why. "Well… _do_ you want to go play a game? You owe me a rematch at that racing game we played."

Akira smiled. "Sure. I'll be happy to beat you again." Waya and Isumi's jaws dropped at that comment.

"Shindou said you were good at the arcade games…" Isumi began.

"But we didn't think you actually _beat_ him," Waya finished.

"Yeah, he's really good. And for me to say that when I play video games so often, you know it's true," Hikaru said. The two just looked at the green-haired boy, apparently still surprised.

"Well, let's go," Akira said, leading the way to the racing game. They sat down at the games and put 100 yen in the game, then pressed the start button and chose their cars. Hikaru chose a yellow and black one with an orange number five on the sides, while Akira chose a green and blue one with a red number one on each side.

"On your mark…" The machine started. "Get set… GO!" Hikaru and Akira both hit the gas pedals, and began steering around the turns. While Hikaru only ran into the railings every once in a while, Akira completely avoided them, as well as other cars.

"Wow," Waya said. "You really _are _good at this!"

"Yeah, when did you learn to do that?" Isumi asked.

"I think it's just common sense," Akira responded. He rarely got to play these games, so he must have just been gifted.

As the game finished, Akira winning again, Hikaru got up and dragged him to another game by the hand. "I bet I can beat you at this one!"

"You're on," the taller boy replied.

"Hey, Isumi," Waya said.

"Yeah?" Isumi asked.

"It's good he came, because this is much better than finding Shindou a temporary fake girlfriend."

"Yeah, and it looks like they're having fun. I guess Touya changed his mind and is actually trying to win Shindou over."

"Yeah, especially since he's wearing almost-normal clothes. I mean, a short-sleeved black button-up shirt over a blue one, with black shorts is a huge improvement compared to those argyle sweaters." Isumi looked at him funny. "I have to do my dad's wash, okay?"

"I didn't say anything."

"But you looked at me weird."

"Whatever. Let's go see what those two are up to," Isumi suggested.

"Yeah," Waya said, and they went to find the two other Go pros, who were playing Guitar Hero, with Akira barely winning. "He really _is_ good."

"Hey, Akira, can we play DDR next?" Hikaru asked.

Akira's face paled a bit. "Must I play that again?"

"Well, it's pretty much the only game I beat you at, excluding the shooting games."

"…Alright, I'll try." He was obviously afraid.

"Don't worry, if you fall again, I'll catch you. I promise," Hikaru said.

Akira smiled, the normal color in his face returning, along with a tinge of redness. "Thank you, Hikaru."

"No problem. Let's go!" He grabbed his rival's hand and dragged him over to the DDR game, where he put 200 yen in the coin slot. "You can choose the song."

"Okay… How about that one?"

"_Accidentally in Love_? Oh, I've heard that before. It's a good song."

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Akira replied. He then chose the song and the "easy" level.

"Do we have to play easy?" Hikaru wondered.

"Yes. You know I have trouble with this game. You'll beat me no matter which level we play at, and I'll more than likely hurt myself if we play something more difficult."

"Fine." They pressed start, and then the game started, and they started stepping on the arrows.

_So she said what's the problem baby?_

_What's the problem I don't know_

_Well, maybe I'm in love _

_(Love)_

_Think about it every time_

_I think about it_

_Can't stop thinking 'bout it_

_How much longer will it take to cure this?_

_Just to cure it cause I can't ignore it if it's love _

_(Love)_

_Makes me wanna turn around and face me but I don't know nothing 'bout love_

_Oh, come on, come on_

_Turn a little faster_

_Come on, come on_

_The world will follow after_

_Come on, come on_

_'cause Everybody's after love_

_So I said I'm a snowball running_

_Running down into the spring that's coming all this love_

_Melting under blue skies belting out _

_Sunlight shimmering love_

_Well baby I surrender_

_To the strawberry ice cream_

_Never ever end of all this love_

_Well I didn't mean to do it_

_But there's no escaping your love, oh_

_These lines of lightning_

_Mean we're never alone,_

_Never alone, no, no_

_Come on, come on_

_Move a little closer_

_Come on, Come on_

_I want to hear you whisper_

_Come on, Come on_

_Settle down inside my love_

_Oh, come on, come on_

_Jump a little higher_

_Come on, come on_

_If you feel a little lighter_

_Come on, come on_

_We were once upon a time in love_

_We're accidentally in love_

_* Accidentally in love (x8)_

_Accidentally_

_* I'm In Love, I'm in Love,_

_I'm in Love, I'm in Love,_

_I'm in Love, I'm in Love,_

_Accidentally (x2)_

_Come on, come on_

_Spin a little tighter_

_Come on, come on_

_And the world's a little brighter_

Akira had been doing well until the end, but at this point, his foot slipped and he began to fall backwards. Hikaru, seeing this, immediately stopped dancing and reached for Akira. Knowing he was too late to just grab him, he dove to land on his back on the ground, catching Akira in the process.

_Come on, come on_

"Akira, are you okay?" Hikaru asked, trapped underneath the other boy's body, arms protectively wrapped around him.

_Just get yourself inside her_

"Yes," Akira replied. "Are you?" He added, worried, he'd crushed his crush.

_Love, _the lyrics continued.

"Yeah, I'm good," Hiakru said. Akira then got off of Hikaru, who sat up, bringing their faces only inches apart, and looked into his eyes. He felt a shiver go down his spine right as the last line of the song played.

_I'm in love._

And at that point, they both believed it to be true.

Please _**REVIEW!**_


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for reading and please remember to _**review**_!

-Continued from chapter 4:

"Hey, are you guys okay?" Waya asked after seeing Akira fall off the DDR stage and Hikaru dive under him to catch him. The two were now sitting next to each other on the floor, Akira having gotten off of Hikaru, and they were staring into each other's eyes as if there were no one else in the world but them.

'_They're probably thinking about those lyrics. The last ones were, "I'm in love," so I bet Shindou realized how he feels,'_ Isumi thought.

The two older boys ran to the two who were sitting in the floor. "Hey, you guys!" Waya exclaimed.

Akira seemed to hear this and turned his head to face them. "Wh-what?"

"I asked if you're okay."

"Ah… Yes, I'm alright."

"And you, Shindou?" Isumi asked.

However, the partial blonde was not paying attention. He was busy staring at Akira, in shock.

"Shindou?"

Akira then looked at the zoned out boy. "Hikaru? Are you alright?"

Seeing those mint-green eyes look into his, Hikaru regained his senses. "Huh? O-oh, yeah, I'm okay." Akira looked at him oddly. "What?"

"Nothing."

"You just looked at me funny."

"No, I didn't," Akira said.

"Yeah, you did."

"I did not!"

"Did so!"

"Oi, you guys, don't start this now!" Waya said, getting glares from both, which were followed by two looks of realization.

"Ah… I'm sorry…" Akira said, looking to the side.

"…Me, too," Hikaru added, suddenly finding the pattern on the carpeted floor very interesting.

"Okay, now, can you guys get up? People have to go around you, you know," Isumi said.

"Oh, right," Akira said, standing up. He then reached a hand down to help Hikaru, who took it gratefully.

"Thanks," the blonde and black-haired boy said.

"You're welcome." The two then looked at the older boys.

"Now what?" Hikaru asked.

"I think that's up to you," Isumi answered.

"Yeah. I mean, are you still in denial?" Waya asked.

Hikaru scowled. "No!"

"So, then, what do you want to do?" Isumi asked.

"Shouldn't we be helping Hikaru?" Akira asked, the look on his face slightly more sad that before.

"Yes, but we need to know what kind of help he wants."

"Yeah, and obviously going to the mall failed," Isumi said.

"Oh, that reminds me. Why were you here and not at the mall?" Akira asked.

"Ogata came after me asking about Sai again," Hikaru answered.

"He did? Then do you know why he was soaked earlier?"

"Oh, he tripped over a bench and fell into the fountain. It was really funny. …Wait, how did you know about that?"

"He came looking for me, asking if you told me anything about Sai."

Hikaru looked at him suspiciously. "You didn't tell him, did you?"

"Of course not!" Akira yelled, hurt. "I wouldn't do that!"

"…I guess you're right," Hikaru said, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. "Sorry, I just get worried about it."

Akira sighed. "It's alright. Now, should we go somewhere else? You still need to find a girlfriend, right?"

Hikaru's eyes widened at this fact. _'Right… Just because I like him doesn't mean he likes me… Maybe I should try to fall in love with someone else, since I doubt he likes me back….'_

"Y-yeah… I guess I do…." Hikaru forced a smile.

Waya and Isumi looked at him, sadly. _'He probably thinks Touya doesn't like him that way,' _Isumi thought, while Waya was thinking, _'Mou, Shindou, you're so dense! And Touya's not much better for not realizing you don't want a girlfriend….'_

"Should we head back to the mall? I doubt Ogata will be there again," Akira pointed out.

"Waya? Isumi? What do you think?" Hikaru questioned.

"Well, I think we should stay here for another hour or so, and then maybe go home and go to the mall tomorrow," Waya said. "I'm free between two and six tomorrow."

"That's a good idea. And I'm free, then, too," Isumi commented.

"I don't have anything then, either," Hikaru said.

"I have a study session with my father…" Akira said. "But, he'll understand if I cancel it."

Hikaru looked at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. He already knows about your… situation… so it's alright."

"Okay, then," Waya interrupted before Hikaru could comment. "It's decided. We'll meet in front of the Go Association at 2:15, okay?" The others agreed. "Now, Touya, what was that about you being bad at shooting games?"

"Eh?" Akira asked. "What about it?"

"Let's play one."

"No, I think I'll pass."

"Ne, Akira, can you play one with me? You were close on that Zombie one," Hikaru said.

Akira looked at him warily. "Wasn't that the one that almost made me sick to play?"

"Oh, right… I guess I was so worried that I did badly…." He laughed weakly. "Okay, well, do you want to play something else?"

"We could play the Pac Man one."

"But you destroyed me at that one!" Hikaru yelled, hands on his hips.

Akira smiled. "I'll play a shooting game that isn't that zombie one if you'll play Pac Man with me."

Hikaru thought for a moment. "Hmm… okay, deal." He held out his hand and Akira shook it. "But we're playing my game first!" Hikaru said, pulling on Akira's hand and running towards another game.

"Whoa! Hikaru, wait! That's not fair!" Akira yelled as he was pulled off into a crowd.

"Those two…" Isumi said. "Really, they bring out the childishness in each other."

"Hikaru's like that anyway," Waya replied.

"Yes, but not Touya. He's always so serious. I'm glad that someone can bring that side out of him."

"Yeah. And Shindou does seem happier when they're together."

"If only they knew how each other felt, this would become extremely easy." Isumi sighed. "I think Shindou brings out the denseness in Touya, too."

Waya laughed. "I agree. Hey, do you want to go play a game? I haven't played Zelda in a while"

"Alright, let's go."

Waya and Isumi then headed to the Zelda game, only to hear someone scream, "Hey! Let go of me!" They looked at each other for a second before quickly running toward the yelling.

"Let him go!" Akira yelled.

"Hey, this one's cute, too," a guy said, putting his arm around Akira's waist and pulling him closer. Akira could clearly smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Get off of me!" He tried to push the drunk away, to no avail.

"Akira!" Hikaru yelled, squirming to get free of another man's grip on his arms.

"Touya, Shindou!" Waya yelled. He and Isumi assessed the situation carefully. There were three drunks who were all around Isumi's age, though they were larger than him, and two of them had latched themselves onto the younger pair of teen Go pros. Waya ran over to the guy who had grabbed Hikaru's arms and tried to tackle him, while Isumi pried the other guy away from Akira. The third drunk was just watching them lazily.

"Hey, guys," the third slurred. "Shouldn't we try finding some chicks?"

"We prefer dudes," the first garbled, dodging Waya's tackle and almost falling over. "Especially ones like this, who get grossed out. Ahahaha."

The second guy then said inaudibly, "Yeah, and this dude here is taking one of our finds away." He was talking about Isumi, who had succeeded in getting Akira free.

"Hikaru!" Akira yelled. He ran toward his friend, then rammed himself sideways into Hikaru's capturer's arms, putting an arm around Hikaru right under the drunk's hands in the process to push him away towards Waya.

As Waya stopped Hikaru from falling and asked if he was okay, the guy who Akira ran into grabbed him.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" the drunk said, attempting and failing to sound seductive. He put an arm around Akira's back, over his arms, and the other hand gripped his chin tightly. Akira tried to pull away to no avail as the man leaned, so he scrunched his eyes closed and kept his mouth closed tight. Then he felt a rough pair of lips on his, and immediately tensed even more, then started quivering, while the other three teens froze with wide eyes. The man tried to get his tongue into Akira's mouth, but when he wouldn't open in, the drunk squeezed his chin, hard, and Akira unwillingly gasped from the pain. Then his eyes opened, widening, as a tongue was forced into his mouth.

"Hey, you!" a guy who seemed normal yelled, pointing to the drunk and his captive.

The drunk pulled back for a moment to take a look at the man, then his eyes widened. "Oh, shit." He let go of Akira and backed up, then turned and tried to run for it, not getting very far.

As Akira was freed from the man's hold, he fell to the floor, shaking, and lifted a hand to his mouth, trying to wipe the germs off and the taste away.

"Akira!" Hikaru yelled, and ran to him. He knelt next to his friend and wrapped his arms around him, to which Akira responded by flinching. "Akira… Akira, look at me. It's me, Hikaru."

Akira looked up, and Hikaru finally saw the fear in his eyes. His own hazel eyes widened a bit. "Gomen, Hikaru," Akira said sadly.

"Why are you apologizing?"

Akira looked down, not answering. He leaned into Hikaru, but he didn't stop shaking, even as the normal-looking man caught the drunk and dragged him over to the four teens.

"I assume this guy forced himself on you?" the normal-looking man asked, facing Akira.

"Yeah, he did," Waya replied, as Hikaru was too preoccupied and Akira was too afraid. "On both of them, actually. And the other guy who was with him, the one with the black hair, did, too."

"Waya, why are you telling him that?" Isumi whispered.

"Because he's a cop. I know him from before." Before Isumi could ask, he added, "And, _no_, I wasn't in trouble with him. Some girl tried to steal my wallet, so he helped get it back." Then Isumi noticed the handcuffs on the now silent drunk's wrists.

"Oh… right." Then Isumi spoke up, "What are you going to do with _him_?"

"Well, we've been looking for this guy for some time, now. He's… done stuff like this before," the cop answered.

"What did he do?" Waya asked.

"Well… I don't think I should say that in front of those two." The cop looked concernedly at the two younger teens.

"I don't think they're playing attention, anyway."

The cop sighed then looked straight at the two older boys. "He's been accused of raping young men."

Sadly, Waya was wrong when he said that Hikaru and Akira weren't listening. This fact was made evident when Akira began to shake even more violently, and Hikaru tensed up, then yelled, "_What?_"

The cop glared at Waya. "…Gomen," Waya said.

"Yes, you heard me right," the cop replied to Hikaru's shock.

"Then… Akira could have…." Feeling said boy tense without the trembling stopping, Hikaru stopped his sentence in the middle.

"Yes, he could have. And you, too."

"Well, I don't give a damn about me right now, but…" he trailed off. Akira's movements calmed to a shiver after hearing that. Knowing that Hikaru cared and was there was comforting to the green-haired boy.

"Let's go to the station. We will have to ask you four, especially you two," the cop said, looking at the two previous captives, "some questions. And this guy here is going to jail."

Hearing that, said man began to fight the tight hold on his arms. "Hey!" he yelled, then followed it with some vulgar language. Though he was strong, he was too drunk and uncoordinated to put up an actual fight, and soon stopped swearing and trying to get away.

The man's yelling and thrashing had been enough to scare Akira again, and he shook just as violently as before. Being in Hikaru's arms didn't seem to help him much anymore. The partial blonde stood up, helping his trembling rival up as well, and the two followed the cop and their two friends silently, Akira holding tightly onto Hikaru's hand.

As they arrived to the police station, they were led to a table to answer questions. The police attempted to ask Akira, but he wasn't responding, and he continued to quake. The questions were starting to annoy Hikaru, who was trying to comfort the green-haired boy.

"This isn't working. You need to answer, Touya-san," the cop said.

"He isn't _able _to right now," Hikaru said. "Why don't I just explain what happened at first, and then you can ask Isumi and Waya the rest. They _were_ there."

"Ah…" the cop looked at Hikaru, then sighed. "All right, Shindou-san. Then, start from the beginning. When the other two know what happened, I'll ask them. It seems you are correct about your friend."

"Okay. Well… I was pulling him towards one of the shooting games, when the guy you caught stepped in front of us. He said, 'You kids want to play with me?' and I told him no, 'cause we were already going to play a game. I guess I didn't realize what he meant by that. He got annoyed, and grabbed my arm, then pushed Akira to the side. We both yelled at him to let go, and then the other drunk grabbed Akira, too… and I think that's when Waya and Isumi came. Right?" Hikaru asked, looking at the two mentioned boys.

"Right. And we can explain the rest."

Waya and Isumi continued the story until the point where the cop came, and then were asked some questions, which they easily answered.

Then, two women walked quickly through the door, followed by a man, and when they saw their sons, the two mothers ran to them. Simultaneous cries of "Hikaru!" and "Akira!" were heard as the boys' respective moms called them, getting their attention.

"Mom," Hikaru said.

"Mother, Father," Akira whispered.

"Why are you here?" Hikaru asked his mother.

"I was worried, of course!" was the reply.

"Akira, are you alright?" Touya-san asked. Hikaru backed up as she went to hug her son, who cringed from the embrace, before relaxing into it, still quivering.

"Y-yes, I'm… I'm alright, Mother," Akira replied softly.

His father then spoke up. "What happened, Akira?" He put a hand on his son's shoulder, and Akira flinched, tensing and scrunching his eyes together. The former Meijin's eyes widened, along with the two recently arrived women, and he removed his hand. "Shindou, can you explain?"

Hikaru looked down. "Akira… had a rather traumatic experience at the arcade." The parents looked at him, so he continued. "Some guys were drunk, and they… well, they grabbed the both of us, and Isumi and Waya tried to help. Isumi freed Akira, but he… he tried to help me, and then the guy who had grabbed me caught him, and he… he…" Hikaru stopped, his fists shaking at his side and a furious look on his face as he stared at the ground.

The adults looked at Waya to continue. "The drunk kissed him." Astonished looks appeared in the features of the three.

Hikaru spoke again. "Yeah, and Akira started shaking, and I wanted to help him, I really did, but I just froze on the spot…." Hikaru put his hands on his head, grasping his hair between his fingers. "I'm such an idiot! I couldn't do a damn thing!" he said, self disgust clear in his voice.

Isumi said, "And then the policeman came and the man tried to run, but he was caught and arrested."

"He should be in jail for a long time," Waya said. "That guy… apparently he was accused of raping… guys our age…."

Touya-san and Shindou-san shrieked at that and Koyo had an angry aura around him, all realizing what could have happened to their sons.

Hikaru looked at Akira, noticing his fists were gripping the cloth over his mother's shoulders, hard. "Akira… you're angry."

"…Who says I am?" came the whisper from the other sixteen-year-old.

"Your hands. You don't clench your fists when you're scared."

Akira immediately loosened the grip on his mother's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Mother."

"It's alright, Akira," Akiko replied. "You don't have to apologize."

Akira turned to Hikaru. "Akira…" Hikaru said.

"Because… if I hadn't have gotten you free… you could have been the one who…" Akira trailed off.

Hikaru frowned, getting the wrong idea. "So you shouldn't have helped me."

Akira looked at him, showing the infuriated look in his eyes, but not aiming it at the other boy. "Idiot… I didn't mean it the way you're thinking…." He faced away.

"Then…." Hikaru walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, stilling his shaking, which neither of the two noticed, though the others did. "…What _did_ you mean?"

Akira faced him. "You could have been hurt! Doesn't that mean _anything_ to you?" he exclaimed.

"No. Not when it was you who got hurt," Hikaru replied, pulling Akira towards him into a hug and wrapping his arms around him. The people in the room noted that while Hikaru's actions were more similar to the drunk's than any of the others that scared Akira further, they only seemed to calm him.

Akira wrapped his arms around Hikaru's torso and buried his face in his shoulder. "Well, I'm glad it was me and not you. Besides, I think I'm alright now."

Hikaru smiled. "Good. Then we can leave, right?"

Touya Koyo, the first person other than the two sixteen-year-olds to talk in the past few minutes, said, "I'll go ask." The pair didn't seem to hear him, though.

The two mothers watched their sons, glad for them. Although Hikaru's mother was still slightly confused, she could see how happy her son was, and she approved of almost anything that would make him happy.

Looking at Akira and Hikaru, Waya and Isumi smiled. "Maybe they'll get together now," Waya whispered.

"I hope so," Isumi responded. "We should tell them not to meet at the mall tomorrow. Shindou doesn't need or want a girlfriend, so there's no point."

"Right." The two told the mothers of Akira and Hikaru, not wanting to bother the teens. The two women agreed to tell their sons of the change in plans when they got home.

As the former-Meijin returned, he informed the group that they could leave. The seven of them filed out of the police station, Akira leaning into Hikaru, who had an arm around his shoulders.

"Thank you, Hikaru," Akira said.

"That's my line," Hikaru replied playfully. Akira laughed, and the seven continued the journey home. As they got to the point where they had to separate, Hikaru took Akira's hand. "Hey, do you want to meet up on Friday?"

"Sure," Akira said. "When?"

"Is five okay? I have a plan."

Akira smiled. "Can you tell me what it is?"

"Well, I have concert tickets. It's a band who sang one of the songs that was on the Guitar Hero game."

"Oh, okay. When does it start?"

Hikaru grinned. "Eight, but I thought we could go to dinner and the mall first."

"The mall?"

"Yeah. I wanted to pick out an outfit for you to wear." At Akira's frown, he added, "I didn't say there was a problem with the way you dress. It's just, you can't wear the clothes you normally wear to a concert."

Akira relented, sighing. "Fine, as long as it's nothing vulgar."

Hikaru chuckled. "Fair enough."

The two then said their goodnights and went their separate ways with their families, both excited for the day that would be there in two days—soon, but not soon enough. Smiling all the way home, the previous events temporarily forgotten, they reached each of their houses and got ready for bed, happy with how the day ended.

Please _**REVIEW!**_


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!

Oh right, thought of a fun disclaimer so…

Disclaimer: You know what a disclaimer is, you know what it will say, you know whatever it would be won't take your breath away. Which means, no, I don't own Hikaru no Go.

"Hikaru, where are you running off to?" said boy's mother asked her son, who had just run down the stairs wearing jeans and a yellow t-shirt with a light green number five on the front and carrying a backpack.

"I have to meet my friends at the mall," Hikaru yelled back, about to open the door.

"Oh, that's right! I forgot to tell you, your two friends told me last night that it wasn't needed anymore, and so they canceled those plans."

Hikaru sighed. "Moooom, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I forgot. Besides, when we got home, you went straight to bed."

"Ugh, _fine_. I guess I'll have to call them then." Hikaru got out his phone and dialed Isumi's number as his mother went back into the kitchen.

"Hello?" Isumi said.

"Hey, Isumi. I heard about the change of plans. Are you still free now?"

"Hey, Shindou. Yeah, I'm free. What's up?"

"Well, I have an idea, but can you call Waya and I'll call Akira and we can have a four-way call?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." Hikaru then took the phone away from his ear and proceeded to call his rival. "Akira?" he asked when his rival answered his cell phone.

"Hello, Hikaru. What are you calling me for?"

"God, Touya, you're way too polite!" came an accusation from someone else on the line.

"I am _not_, Waya! I was raised this way, unlike _some people_."

"I think you're going away from how you were raised, Akira," Hikaru said.

Akira sighed. "Sorry…."

"Okay, you guys, let's not start another argument," Isumi chided. "So, Shindou, why did you call?"

"Oh right. So, I heard we aren't going to the mall, right?"

"Right. It's really unnecessary, now."

"Why's that?" Akira asked.

If this conversation were in person, he would have received a double glare. "Trust me, there's a reason. You happen to be a part of it, yourself."

"Me?"

"Yes, you, you oblivious fool!" Waya said.

"Hey, Waya! Don't talk to him like that!" Hikaru yelled, annoyed.

There was an awkward silence.

"Uh… okay, then…" Isumi tried to lighten the mood. "So… did you have other plans, Shindou?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, I was thinking we could go to karaoke instead."

"Awesome!" Waya said. "Let's go! It's been _years_ since I've sang karaoke."

Isumi then added, "I'll go. It's been a while for me, too."

Hikaru waited for the final voice to speak. "Akira?"

Akira sighed. "I suppose I can go, for you…. But I've never gone to karaoke before."

"SERIOUSLY?"

"_Yes_, Hikaru, _seriously_. I'd never been to an arcade before I went with you, so why is this so surprising?"

"SERIOUSLY?" Now it was Waya's turn to yell. "That was only your _second_ time at an arcade?"

"For the love of— _Yes, _it was. Okay?"

Waya was stunned silent.

"Waya? Shindou? Are you guys alright?" Isumi asked. Receiving no reply, he said, "Touya, I think you killed them." That also received silence. "Touya?" Nothing. "Touya, I was joking!"

Someone let out a breath. "Oh… okay," Akira said, relieved. "Hikaru?"

"…." His rival didn't answer.

"HIKARU!"

"WHAT?"

"Are you okay?"

"…Yes, I'm fine."

"Good. I was worried."

There was another awkward silence.

"…So… Touya, are you going to come?" Isumi asked, breaking the silence again.

"Uh… Oh. Yes, I will."

"Okay," Hikaru said, happily. "Hey, Akira?"

"Yes, Hikaru?" Akira responded.

"Since we were gonna go to the mall before the concert and get you a new outfit anyway, why don't we just go before karaoke?"

Akira sighed. "What's the difference?"

"Well, you can get two, and wear one there!"

"Yeah," Waya added in, "And Isumi and I can help you!"

Akira managed not to groan at that. "I don't really want your help, but thanks for the offer."

"Oh, come on, Akira! For me? _Please?_" Hikaru pleaded.

"…."

Hikaru and the others just waited, knowing how the green-haired boy would respond.

"…Fine…" Akira finally said.

"Yay!" Hikaru cheered. "So, can you guys go now?"

The three said yes, and they decided to meet in front of the mall in a half hour.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Akira!" Hikaru called, waving at his friend who was standing at the meeting place.

"Hello, Hikaru," Akira said.

"Ready to sing?" Hikaru was grinning.

Akira frowned. "Not really. I don't see why we're going to karaoke the day before we go to a concert."

"Because it'll be fun!"

Akira sighed. "It will, for _you_, maybe…." Hikaru looked at him sadly. "But I suppose I can try to have fun as well."

The partial blonde's face brightened immediately, and he grabbed both his rival's hands. "Yeah! That's the spirit!"

Then Waya and Isumi came up, surprising them. "Hey, you two. I hope you were being good while we were gone," Waya said. Akira blushed.

"What have you been doing?" Isumi asked.

Hikaru got an evil idea and smirked. "Oh, just the usual, making out and what not." Waya and Isumi stared wide-eyed, and Akira's face turned red. Horrified, the latter yelled, "Hikaru!"

Hikaru, looking at their faces, started cracking up. "Ha ha ha! I'm sorry, Akira, but your faces are priceless!"

Akira glared at him.

"_Shindou_, I wouldn't be mad if what you said was true, but since it's not…" Waya said, annoyed. He also glared at the blond and black-haired boy.

"Shindou, that wasn't very nice," Isumi said.

Hikaru sweat dropped. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry," he said, hands in front of him.

Isumi sighed. "Let's just go."

Waya then grinned, remembering why they were here. "Yeah. Let's go get Touya a few reasonable outfits."

"And let's hurry up!" Hikaru said.

Akira grimaced and put a hand on his head, rubbing his temples. "Very well, but don't forget what I told you before, Hikaru."

"I know, Akira."

"What did he say before?" Waya asked.

"He said we can't get him anything vulgar."

Waya laughed. "Nothing vulgar, huh? Well, I'm going to assume you mean by our standards."

"I'm not sure what your standards are." Akira and Waya glared at each other. Then, the former turned toward Hikaru. "I assume I can trust _you_, Hikaru."

"Of course, Akira. I won't let Waya torment you. Now, let's go!"

Then Hikaru dragged Akira by the hand toward the mall entrance, Isumi following them, and Waya right behind him, smirking.

"So, where are we going?" Akira asked, once inside the mall.

"Hot Topic!" Hikaru yelled. Isumi gave him a look. "What? They have cool clothes there!"

"You only want to go there for yourself," Waya said.

"Not true! I bet we'll find something for Akira, too."

"Can we just go?" Akira said, trying to put an end to their argument. He was getting annoyed. He didn't want to be there just then; at least, not when the two other younger teens were probably going to force him to try on clothes he wouldn't want to wear.

"Yeah, you two. Let's go to Hot Topic first, and then we'll go somewhere Waya thinks will be productive," Isumi said. When Waya smirked evilly, he added, "And Touya has to agree with what you decide on."

"Only if it's fair!" Hikaru added.

"Yes, now, let's go." Isumi began to lead the way toward Hot Topic, until Hikaru grabbed Akira's hand again and pulled them in front, running toward the store.

"Hikaru, hold on! We don't need to run everywhere!"

"Yeah, we do! Then there will be more time for karaoke! Now come on!" They entered the store. "We gotta at least find you a cool shirt in here so Waya will stay off my back."

Akira sighed. "Alright." He looked at all the shirts that were on the wall. _'These are strange. Does Hikaru like these kinds of clothes?'_

"Akira, you should try that one on!" Hikaru said, pointing at a yellow one with a Pikachu on it.

"No!" Akira disagreed.

Waya and Isumi had finally reached them, and Waya started looking at the shirts. "That's more like what you'd wear, Shindou," he said, looking at the one Hikaru was pointing at. Then he saw another one that caught his interest immediately. "Oh my gosh," he got out, laughing hysterically. "Akira, you should get that one!" He pointed at a light blue one that said (A/N: This is really there, I'm not being prejudice, I promise) "Being Gay is Mantastic" with two rainbow guys on it, holding hands.

Akira, Hikaru, and Isumi all looked at it. Isumi was about to scold Waya when Akira yelled, in a totally un-Touya-like fashion, "Waya, you bastard, stop making fun of me!"

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

"Akira?" Hikaru asked quietly, looking at the boy whose bangs covered the top half of his face.

Akira looked up at him, red-faced with tears in his eyes. Hikaru's eyes widened.

"Touya, are you alright?" Isumi asked.

"_Him_? What about _me_?" Waya asked. "_I'm_ the one who was just yelled at!"

"Waya, stop it! That was cruel of you!" Isumi exclaimed. Waya looked taken aback. _Isumi_ was yelling at _him_. Why was this happening to him?

"Akira, are you okay?" Hikaru asked his friend, softly, putting a hand on his back. Akira seemed to relax a bit at the hand, and whispered, "Yes… I'm alright."

Waya was still angry. He had just gotten yelled at, and yet _he _was getting punished, while that _jerk_ was getting all the attention. "Oi, Touya!" He put a hand roughly on said boy's shoulder and tightened his grip. Akira immediately flinched away from Waya, terrified, and started to shiver. His tears were then falling freely.

"Waya!" Hikaru yelled. "If you're going to be doing this, then you should just leave!" He then turned toward his rival and put his arms around him in a hug, trying to comfort him. "Akira, it's okay." Akira's shivers didn't seem to stop, though.

"What's his problem?" Waya exclaimed.

"Waya!" Isumi said. "He's still scared from last night! Or have you forgotten?"

Waya looked into the glare of his best friend, and realization struck him. "Oh, _shit_." He then looked at Akira. "I'm sorry, Touya," he said quietly. "I forgot what happened."

Akira whispered, still shivering, "It's alright. I'm fine, really."

All three boys frowned at him. "You're not alright if you can't stop shaking," Hikaru said.

Akira hadn't realized that he was trembling again. When he consciously noticed, he said, "Sorry, I didn't realize I was. I can stop it." He leaned into Hikaru, putting his face in the crook of Hikaru's neck.

"Akira? Are you sure?"

"Yes. Is it stopping?"

Hikaru noticed then that his friend's body was, indeed, calming down. "How are you doing that?"

"I feel safer when you're holding me like this," Akira replied, his blush unseen by the other three.

Hikaru blushed, too, and smiled. "That's good. Tell us when you're ready to go, okay? I'm not going to rush you."

"Okay," Akira mumbled. A moment later, when his shivering had completely stopped, he said, "I feel better now. I'm ready to go when you are." He looked at Hikaru's face and, seeing the other boy looking back at him, smiled.

"Isumi? Waya? Do you want to stay or leave?" Hikaru asked.

"You haven't even looked around yet, Shindou. Let's stay a bit," Isumi said.

"Yeah. Might as well," Waya said. "Then we can go to Express."

"'Kay. But no more being mean to Akira, okay?" Hikaru looked pointedly at Waya.

"Yeah, fine. I wouldn't dare, anyway. And sorry, Touya, that was mean of me."

"It's alright, Waya," Akira said.

Then the four boys proceeded to look around the store. "Hey, Akira, do you like Harry Potter?" Hikaru asked.

"What?" He gave his friend a confused look.

"I'll take that as a 'no.' Hmm… oh, how about that one?" Hikaru pointed at a black one that said, "I'm Awesome," on a nametag.

"No."

"That one?" Hikaru said, pointing to one that said "AWKWARD" with an arrow under it.

"No."

"Gosh, Akira, you're being difficult."

"Hey, Touya, what about that one?" Waya pointed to a t-shirt that was written in sign language and said "Talk to the Hand" under it.

"That one's not too bad," Akira commented, surprising the other three. "What? No one will understand, but we use our hands in Go, right?"

"…Good point," Isumi said.

"Okay, one down, and one to go," Hikaru said.

"Good job, Waya," Isumi said.

"Thank you, Waya," Akira said. "Maybe Hikaru won't be so pushy in the other store."

"Yeah right," Waya said as Hikaru went to get the shirt. "He'll probably be worse since you chose one I found, and not one _he_ found."

Akira sighed. "At least I know I can trust him…. Otherwise, that could be a problem. Besides, he's the one with the concert tickets, so if he wants to choose what I wear, then so be it."

"I guess."

"Hey, Akira, hurry up!" Hikaru called.

"Sorry, Hikaru. I'm coming." Akira then went to buy the shirt.

Isumi commented, "Waya, I hope you won't hurt him again."

"I won't!" Waya defended. "I won't."

"If Shindou didn't realize Touya's feelings from _that__**, **_then I don't know if he'll ever figure it out."

"I agree. I'll bet that was the first time someone ever told him they feel safer when he's holding them."

"Yeah. Maybe we should head out for a bit. We can go to any store you want."

"Even Game Stop?"

Isumi sighed. "Yes, even Game Stop."

Waya grinned. "Hey, Touya, Shindou! Isumi and I are gonna go to another store!"

"Okay!" Hikaru called back.

"We'll meet you in front of the Ogata Fountain in a half hour, okay?" Waya asked, using the name the boys had made up for the fountain Ogata had fallen into.

"Sure! See ya!"

Then the two left, leaving the younger pair behind. "Hikaru, where are going to go now?" Akira asked.

"Hmm… well, the next clothes store was Waya's choice, so we should wait for them to go there. Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

"Not that I know of. I don't come to the mall often."

"'Kay, then why don't we just get some ice cream and wait by the fountain?"

"Fine by me."

The two then left Hot Topic and headed towards the nearest Dairy Queen. They bought their ice cream, then found a bench and ate it in peace for a few minutes, just looking at the stores and people around them. As they got up after they had both finished, they began to walk toward the fountain. On the way, Akira saw a photo booth. "Hikaru, can we go get our pictures taken? I have no pictures of us together."

Hikaru looked at him. "Sure, Akira, let's go." He took his friend's hand and they walked over to the photo booth and sat down. Then, Hikaru paid 500 yen and they selected a green, yellow, and red frame. "Hey Akira, let's make a funny face!"

Akira looked at him weird. "Why?"

"It's fun! And we get five pictures! So, why not?"

Akira sighed. "Alright." Then Hikaru stuck his tongue out at the camera and pressed the button. Akira crossed his eyes and put two fingers behind Hikaru's head, making him look like a bunny. Then the photo took, and before Hikaru could see it, Akira pressed the button again, which made it take another photo of Hikaru glaring at Akira, who was laughing.

"That was funny," Akira said, grinning.

"What did you do that for?" Hikaru asked, slightly annoyed, but mostly glad his friend was having fun.

"Oh, come on. You said it yourself, we have five."

"Fine… Then the next one is normal, okay? I know you want at least _one_ normal one."

"Yeah." They pressed the button, and three seconds later, a photo was taken of them sitting side-by-side, straight-faced.

"I get to choose the next one!" Hikaru pressed the button as Akira looked at him, then poked his rival's forehead, and Akira scrunched his eyes closed right before the photo took. Akira opened his eyes and glared at his friend.

"Why did you do that?"

"It was funny. And the last one can be us glaring at each other, okay?"

Akira sighed. "Fine." As Hikaru pressed the button, Akira moved his face until it was three inches from his friend's and glared at him. When Hikaru turned back to him, their eyes met, pulling each other in, then began to shut a bit.

3…

They subconsciously began to lean in.

2…

They both closed their eyes.

1…

Their faces were half an inch away.

And then they kissed, just as the photo was snapped.

The photo was forgotten, though, when their lips connected. _'He tastes like chocolate,'_ Akira thought, recalling the ice cream they just ate, as Hikaru thought, _'He tastes like mint.'_

Akira put his hands behind Hikaru's neck, and Hikaru put his arms around Akira's waist, both pulling the other closer. Just as the kiss got more heated, the photos dispensed, the sound making the two boys realize what was happening. They quickly pulled back, away from each other, and returned their arms to their sides. Both had red faces and were panting slightly.

Akira looked to the side. "I'm sorry. It was an accident."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, too." _'An accident,'_ Hikaru thought. _'So he _doesn't_ like me._'

Akira reached to pick the photos up and gave one strip to Hikaru while putting the other in his pocket without even looking at it. "Let's go."

The two got out of the photo booth and began to head towards the fountain. It had become awkward. As they reached the fountain, Waya and Isumi waved to them.

"Hey, you two. What did you do?" Isumi asked.

Waya laughed. "I bet they were making out," he said, joking.

Both Hikaru and Akira blushed, then looked to the side, muttering, "It was an accident." Isumi and Waya's eyes widened.

"Wait, you actually were?"

Hikaru looked at them. "Well… we went to get ice cream, then we went to the photo booth and took a few pictures, and…." He looked down.

"Oh… Um… Cool."

"Can we see the photos?" Isumi asked. Hikaru began to hand his copy to Isumi as Akira took his out of his pocket and glanced at them. His eyes went wide, and he said, "Hikaru, I don't think you should show them those."

"Why?" Hikaru asked, then looked at his own copy. Then he blushed, and said, "Yeah, maybe not. Sorry, guys."

"Oh, come on," Waya said. "They can't be _that_ bad." He swiftly reached for the ones in Hikaru's hand, and succeeded in grabbing them. "Let's see here." He and Isumi looked at the first few as Akira and Hikaru reached out their hands to take them back. "See, there's nothing wrong with…" he stopped, seeing the last one of Akira and Hikaru kissing. Isumi blushed and Waya's eyes widened.

"I see you weren't joking," Isumi said.

"Of course not! Now, give them back!" Hikaru replied, loudly.

"Here," Waya said, handing them back to his friend.

"You guys, it was an accident, so can we just go buy another outfit and then head out?" Akira asked.

The three other boys looked at him, then Isumi said, "Yeah, let's go. Waya, where did you want to go?"

"Express," Waya said, still a bit stunned.

"I know where that is!" Hikaru exclaimed. "Let's go, Akira!" He grabbed Akira's hand again, the photo booth incident apparently forgotten, and pulled him towards the store.

"I like this store more than the other one," Akira said as they entered it. He then looked at Hikaru apologetically. "Sorry, but the one you chose was a bit…."

"Emo?"

"Yes, that."

Hikaru glanced at him. "Not all of it, though."

"I agree," Akira said, smiling. "So, what are you going to choose here?"

"Hmm…" Hikaru thought for a minute, looking around. He then saw something that caught his eye. "Oh, look at this! And this, and this, and this…" he said, gathering things in his hands. He was holding twelve items of clothing and two pairs of shoes by the time he dragged Akira over to the changing rooms. "Akira, go try these on, and show me all of them, okay?"

Akira suppressed a groan. "Alright." He went into the changing room and changed clothes, then went to show Hikaru. "I don't like this one," he said.

"No, something's off. Go try the other three."

"Okay." Akira went back to change, and after two more outfits, he was trying on the last, hoping it would work.

He put on the tight black jeans, green v-neck graphic t-shirt, and light blue long sleeved button up shirt, without buttoning it, then put on the black ankle-boots that Hikaru had found while he was changing the second time. Then, he left the changing room to show Hikaru.

"Hikaru, how does this one look?" Akira asked. Hikaru turned to look at him and was stunned speechless. He continued to stare at the handsome boy in front of him, who was beginning to feel self-conscious. "Hikaru, does it look alright or not?"

"Y-yeah," the blonde-and-black-haired boy got out. Akira frowned, not sure about his friend's response.

Outside the dressing room, Waya and Isumi were waiting for the two others to get done. "Gosh, how long can it take for him to try on a few outfits?" Waya asked.

"I'm not sure. They should be done soon, though.

Impatient, Waya yelled in, "Hey, are you two done yet?"

"Yeah," Hikaru yelled back, having regained his senses.

"Hikaru, do I have to wear this?" Akira complained inside the dressing room as Hikaru tried to pull him out of the dressing room.

"Yes, you do. Besides, it looks good on you."

Akira blushed and looked to the side. "Thank you."

Waya and Isumi were hearing the whole conversation. Waya smirked, knowing Akira was blushing.

"Hey, Akira, are you feeling okay? Your face is kinda red," Hikaru commented, worried, and leaned towards the green-haired boy to put a hand on his forehead. This, of course, made Akira blush more.

"Shindou, he's just blushing," Waya shouted.

Hikaru blinked, then laughed. "Embarrassed to be wearing that, Akira?"

"Something like that…" Akira said, looking to the side again.

Hikaru laughed again. "Well, let's go show Waya and Isumi."

The two left the dressing room area, Hikaru leading Akira by the hand. Waya and Isumi, who were both impatient by now, looked up at their friends. As they saw Akira, their eyes widened.

"How does it look?" Akira asked.

"It looks… really good, actually," Isumi said.

"Yeah," Waya said. "You actually look normal." Akira glared at him.

"Come on Waya, that's an understatement," Hikaru said.

"Shindou, why don't you just tell him what _you're_ really thinking, and then we can go," Waya said, annoyed.

"What I'm really thinking? I don't think I want to say that out loud."

"Oh, come on, Hikaru, I'd appreciate your opinion," Akira said.

"Yeah, Shindou, go ahead. Say it," Waya pressed.

Hikaru groaned. Putting a hand over his eyes, he said, "You look hot, okay?"

Waya and even Isumi smirked, watching Akira's face turn completely red. "So, are you going to buy it?" Isumi asked.

"…Yes," Akira answered, then went back to change into his other clothes, the Hot Topic shirt included. He walked out wearing his jeans, t-shirt, and white button up shirt, unbuttoned, and carrying his new outfit, which he then went to buy.

"Hey, Shindou, if you think he's hot, then why don't you just tell him you like him?" Waya asked.

"Because he doesn't like me back," Hikaru said.

"I highly doubt that. Actually, you could say we know for a fact that he does," Isumi said.

"Then why did he say the kiss was an accident?"

"Uh, because it _was_? And he probably thought you'd be angry. It's not like he knows you like him," Waya said.

"Well, I'm not telling him. At least, not yet."

"If you don't, then he's going to keep thinking you need a girlfriend," Isumi said."By this point, that would only cause problems."

Waya said, "And don't forget, you only have three days left. Which means, if he isn't in love yet, you better get him to be, since you obviously won't like anyone else."

"I know, I know. I'll tell him soon," Hikaru promised. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah, let's go," Isumi said.

"On to karaoke. I'll beat you all!" Waya said, pumping a fist in the air.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Hikaru replied.

A minute later, Akira joined them, and they began to head out of the mall and towards the place where they would be singing karaoke.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry, I have replaced my interest in Hikaru no Go with my interest in Eyeshield 21, so that's why this took so long. It's also why it's not very good. I'll try to finish it before I go to camp, but there's only a few weeks left till then, and I'll be away fro a month and a half then. Well, wish me luck with that. Now, on to the story! And don't forget:

Please REVIEW!

On the way to the karaoke place on thursday, the four boys were walking at a slow pace and looking in some of the windows. There were a lot of people around, and Akira was paying them a lot of attention.

"Hey, Hikaru, how about her? She looks our age," Akira said. He was trying to help his friend and the love of his life find a girlfriend.

"Nah, too tall," Hikaru replied.

Akira began to look around again. "Her?"

"No. Her hair is too light." This was really beginning to annoy him.

"Her?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"I don't like her, okay?"

"How can you know?" Akira asked, frustrated.

"I just do, okay! I'm not going to be able to fall in love with any of those girls!" Hikaru was getting very annoyed.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm already in love with somebody else!" Hikaru snapped. Akira flinched at that, realizing exactly what his friend was saying. _'So I'm too late…'_ he thought.

"Oh… Sorry, then…." The look of pain in Akira's eyes was unmistakable by his fellow Go pros.

Hikaru frowned. "No, it's alright. Just, stop suggesting girls, okay?"

"Alright…." Akira looked down. "The girl you fell in love with is very lucky," he said quietly.

"Huh?" Hikaru was a bit surprised. "Who said it's a girl?"

Akira looked up at that. "So you're gay?"

"Yeah. So what if I am?" he said, a bit afraid of the answer.

"No… nothing… nothing at all…." Depressed and angry with himself, Akira looked forward and kept walking. _'That means I had a chance….'_

The two teens walked in silence while Isumi and Waya chatted away until they reached the karaoke place. They were lead to one of the soundproof rooms, where they could sing till their hearts' content. Too bad not all of them were in the mood for singing.

"Akira, cheer up! It'll be fun!" Hikaru said to his friend, trying his best to act happy. Truth be told, he didn't care to be there just then, either.

"Come on, you two. Cheer up! We're gonna sing!" Waya said, grabbing the remote. "I call choosing first song! And Shindou can sing it."

"Wait, what? Why?" Hikaru said.

""Cause I said so!"

"So? Why don't you sing first?"

Waya smirked. "Because I have a great song for you. Come on, do it for Touya."

Hikaru glared at him. "And _that's_ going to get me to go?"

"Okay, you two, stop it," Isumi said. "Just, one of you, go. You both wanted to come here, you know."

"Well, I'm not going first," Hikaru told him stubbornly.

"Me neither," Waya said.

"For crying out loud… _I'll_ go if you'll stop bickering," Akira announced. The others looked at him like he grew another head. "What?"

"_You_…" Waya started.

"…are going to _sing_…" Hikaru continued.

"…_first_?" Isumi finished.

"_Yes_! Gosh, you guys, you'd think I had two heads with the way you're acting," Akira answered. The three just stared at him, stunned. "What?"

"Who are you and what did you do with Touya?" Waya asked. He and Isumi were not used to seeing Akira act like this.

The green-haired boy looked at him strangely.

"He means you're acting differently from usual," Isumi explained.

"Oh…. Am I? I didn't notice."

"Yes, you are. A lot. You're acting _normal_," Waya replied. He then received three glares. "Okay, okay, sorry, but you guys were thinking the same thing."

"I actually was thinking that you guys are imagining things," Hikaru said. "Akira always acts like this."

Isumi and Waya raised their eyebrows.

"I suppose you'd know best, since you're around him most," Isumi said.

Then, Akira said, "Actually, I think it's because we're rivals."

Isumi and Waya weren't expecting that. They froze, not moving an inch. Hikaru began waving his hands in front of their faces. "Hello? Anybody home?"

"Sorry," Isumi said. "I just wasn't expecting that."

"So the rumors were true, huh?" Waya asked.

"Yeah," Hikaru said. "I _wasn't_ lying when I said we were rivals when I was an insei."

Akira raised an eyebrow. Waya, noticing this, asked, "Were you lying when you said it was because he saw your potential?"

Akira raised his other eyebrow, and Hikaru, seeing this, rubbed his hand on the back of his head. "Yeah… hehehe…. That one was a lie. But I couldn't tell you it was because the ghost of Shuusaku defeated the famous Touya Akira through me. No one would believe me."

"…Right."

"Anyway, you guys, are we going to sing or not?"

"We are," Isumi said.

Hikaru and Waya grinned. "Okay," Hikaru said.

"Touya first!" Waya exclaimed.

"I know…" Akira said. He took a look at the song list, then muttered, "I think I'll press random." So, he pressed the "random" button on the remote, and then a song name came up and the song started playing.

"I don't know this one," Hikaru said, and Waya and Isumi nodded.

"I do." The three looked at him, surprised. Akira seemed to be shocking them a lot, lately. "It's 'Never Gonna Be Alone,' by Nickelback."

"Nickelback… I know them," Waya said.

"Yeah," Hikaru said. "But I only know the songs 'Savin' Me' and 'How You Remind Me.'"

"Ah," Akira said. "I know a lot of them. Although, I've only heard them each once or twice."

And then, before anyone could comment, the lyrics started, and Akira started singing.

_Time, is going by, so much faster than I,_

_And I'm starting to regret not spending all of it with you._

_Now I'm, wondering why, I've kept this bottled inside,_

_So I'm starting to regret not telling all of this to you._

_So if I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know..._

And, surprise, surprise, Akira can sing well, too. Really well, actually. Who knew?

_You're never gonna be alone_

_From this moment on, if you ever feel like letting go,_

_I won't let you fall..._

_You're never gonna be alone_

_I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone._

Hikaru was listening to the song, mesmerized. It sounded as if Akira was singing to _him._ And while he knew he put the thought in his own head, he refused to believe it.

_And now, as long as I can, I'm holding on with both hands,_

_'Cause forever I believe that there's nothing I could need but you,_

_So if I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know..._

_You're never gonna be alone_

_From this moment on, if you ever feel like letting go,_

_I won't let you fall._

_When all hope is gone, I know that you can carry on._

_We're gonna see the world out,_

_I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone._

It would be too good to be true.

_Oh!_

_You've gotta live every single day,_

_Like it's the only one, what if tomorrow never comes?_

_Don't let it slip away,_

_Could be our only one, you know it's only just begun._

_Every single day,_

_Maybe our only one, what if tomorrow never comes?_

_Tomorrow never comes..._

_Time, is going by, so much faster than I,_

_And I'm starting to regret not telling all of this to you._

_So if I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know..._

Waya and Isumi were watching him sing, not really seeing but hearing him. They could hardly tell his voice from the real singer's.

_You're never gonna be alone_

_From this moment on, if you ever feel like letting go,_

_I won't let you fall._

_When all hope is gone, I know that you can carry on._

_We're gonna see the world out,_

_I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone._

_I'm gonna be there always,_

_I won't be missing one more day,_

_I'm gonna be there always,_

_I won't be missing one more day._

"Whoa," Waya said when Akira stopped singing. "Dude, you have an awesome voice."

"Yeah, you really do," Isumi said. "Don't you agree, Shindou?"

But Hikaru didn't hear them. He was busy staring at Akira. And Waya and Isumi soon noticed that Akira hadn't heard them either. Come to think of it, wasn't he looking at Hikaru the whole time?

The two thought at the same time, _'Did he really know that song that well? But… he only heard it once or twice.'_

Then Waya said, "And we still get surprised _why_?"

"I don't know," Isumi said. "He's good at everything."

"Except shooting games," Waya joked. "Besides, I don't think he likes to socialize about anything except Go around anyone but _him_." Waya nodded towards Hikaru, who was still in his and Akira's own world.

"Yeah." Then, Isumi said loudly, "Okay," barely getting Akira and Hikaru's attention away from each other. "Who's singing next?"

"Uh…" Hikaru said. "I will, I guess."

"Okay," Waya said. "I'll go after you."

"Then me," Isumi said.

"Okay. And let's all choose 'random,' okay?"

"Right!" Hikaru said, pressing the "random" button. Then the song "Beautiful Soul" by Jesse McCartney started playing. "Oh, I know this one."

"Me, too. I was on the radio once when I was in Ogata-san's car on the way home," Akira said. The three others just stared at him. "What? It's not _that_ weird that he listens to music like this."

"That's not it," Isumi said.

"How do you even _remember_ that?"

"When I heard it? It's easy. Besides, it was only a little over a year ago." The three kept staring.

"You're memory is _scary_," Hikaru said.

Akira frowned. "Well, then, I'm sorry for being able to remember stuff. It's not like yours is any worse."

"No, but that's only in Go. I can't remember school stuff or everyday stuff like that very well at all."

"Hmm... That's weird…."

"Why's that so weird?"

"Your memory with Go is amazing. That's why. In some ways, it's even better than my own," Akira said, thinking. He got more stares, but he didn't notice. "So it's weird that you can't remember other stuff."

"Well," Hikaru said, "Maybe it's weird that you _do_ remember everything. How about this: can you remember the song you heard closest to New Year's last year that wasn't a holiday song, and when and where it was?"

Akira looked like he was deep in thought. "Hmm…. That was probably that Beetles song, 'Hello Goodbye,' when someone was playing it really loud on his iPod outside that Mexican seafood restaurant, El Pescado. Hmm… when was that…." Akira kept thinking, but the other three were shocked enough. "Oh, it was early January. The fourth, maybe? That sounds about right…."

"Akira," Hikaru said.

"Yes?"

"How on earth do you _remember_ that?"

"Yeah, it's nuts!" Waya said. Then, he got an idea, and smirked.

"Oh, wait, I'm missing the song!" Hikaru said, noticing the song was half over. He then began to sing with a good voice, but nowhere near as great as Akira's.

_Am I crazy for wanting you?_

_Maybe do you think you could want me too?_

_I don't wanna waste your time_

_Do you see things the way I do?_

_I just wanna know that you feel it too_

_There is nothing left to hide_

_I don't want another pretty face_

_I don't want just anyone to hold_

_I don't want my love to go to waste_

_I want you and your beautiful soul_

_You're the one I wanna chase_

_You're the one I wanna hold_

_I won't let another minute go to waste_

_I want you and your soul_

_I don't want another pretty face_

_I don't want just anyone to hold_

_I don't want my love to go to waste_

_I want you and your beautiful soul_

_Ooooooo_

_Beautiful Soul, yeah_

_Oooooo, yeah_

_Your beautiful soul_

_Yeah _

As Hikaru finished singing, he realized that he very well could have been singing about Akira, and blushed lightly.

"Singing for Touya, eh, Shindou?" Waya asked. Both mentioned boys blushed darkly and looked down.

Using his idea from earlier, Waya said, "Hey, Touya, what was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?"

"…Why?" Akira asked, warily.

"Just curious."

"Well, that would have to be the DDR incident."

"You mean when we were there?"

"No, when I went to a hotel with my father and some of his Go friends and a kid dragged me to the arcade to play DDR with her. It was really strange."

"And what happened?" Isumi couldn't help but ask.

"I fell off the stage, and a bunch of people were staring at me oddly."

Isumi and Waya winced slightly.

"But, Akira, you fell off the stage when we were all at the arcade. What's the difference?" Hikaru asked.

"Yeah," Waya said, "and why do you always fall off DDR stages?"

"I don't like DDR. That's why. And I suppose I'm not very coordinated…. To answer Hikaru's question," he looked back at said boy and stared him in the eyes, "it was because you were there. I guess I didn't notice everyone staring." There was a tinge of red on his cheeks.

"O-oh," Hikaru stuttered. He started blushing, too.

There was another short silence.

"Uh… my turn," Waya said, and pressed random. A song began to play, and he started singing along in an okay voice. After it ended, Isumi went, and sang very well, but still no one could beat Akira.

After everyone sang a few times and talked a bit more, it was time to go. Waya and Isumi went left at the exit, and Akira and Hikaru went right, heading towards their homes together, both blushing from something Waya had told each of them separately, earlier.

As Waya and Isumi walked toward their houses, Isumi asked, "What did you tell them when they went to the bathroom? I know each time one of them left, you did too, and then you came back right away smirking and they came back blushing."

"Well, I told them to be careful when they kiss each other because it can lead to more."

Isumi sighed. "You didn't need to say that, you know."

"But it was funny!" Waya said. "I'll bet no one told them that before. And they just kissed earlier today, so there was an extra effect."

"Waya, you're just messing with their minds."

"Am not! I want to help them. I also told them that if that happens it means they like each other."

"You know that's not always true," Isumi scolded.

"But it is with them," Waya reminded him.

Isumi sighed again. "Fine. We'll just see if that helped, then. There's nothing we can do about it now."

And they continued the walk to their homes in silence, thinking about the almost couple, and wishing them luck.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey, you guys. Sorry I didn't update for so long. I was very busy at camp, and then I returned home to a torn-up house because of remodeling. I'm glad I could finally write this, though. This story should be over after a few more chapters. Thank you guys for sticking with it! Please _**ReViEw!**_

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It was Friday, the day of the concert. Hikaru, who was going to pick Akira up later, was very nervous. He couldn't help but think that it was like a date, even thought he knew Akira didn't think it was. He had spent a full thirty minutes trying to find some clothes that would make him look as good as he knew the green-haired boy would, but he was having difficulty. There were many outfits that looked good on him, but when you compare yourself to the person you're in love with then it's difficult to believe that.

Contrary to Hikaru's beliefs, Akira felt the exact same way as the partial blonde. Sure, he already had an outfit picked out, but he couldn't help being nervous. He also believed his rival to think of this as nothing but hanging out with a friend, while he fretted over it being too much like a date for comfort.

Amazing how something _like_ a date can be more nerve-wracking that something that _is_ a date.

After another ten minutes, Hikaru decided on blue jeans and a black sleeveless shirt, along with two thick studded black bracelets, one for each wrist. Then, after looking at the clock, grabbed his wallet and cell phone and ran down the stairs.

"Bye, Mom!" Hikaru called as he hurried out the door.

"Bye, Hikaru. Have fun!" she yelled back.

He had to speed walk to get to Akira's house on time. When he got there, he saw Akira quickly shutting the door.

"Akira, why are you—" Hikaru started.

"No reason, let's just go," the green haired boy said, grabbing Hikaru's hand and hurrying away from his house.

"But what's the rush?"

"I told you, it's not—"

"Touya, wait!" someone yelled from behind. Luckily, Hikaru and Akira were past the bushes, so the person couldn't see them.

"Who's that?" Hikaru asked.

"No one important, but let's hurry," Akira said. He then ran down the pathway until he got to the sidewalk. "Which way to the concert?"

"Uh… that way!" Hikaru pointed left, and they began running again. "Why are we running, Akira?"

"Because that girl's been bothering me all day. She won't leave me alone!"

"Who _is_ she?" Hikaru asked, worried. _'Could she hurt my chances with Akira?' _he thought.

"Her name's Katsumi. She's just a family friend. I don't even know why she's at my house."

"Okay, then why is she following you?"

"I don't know!"

"Touya!" Katsumi yelled from behind them. Hikaru looked back, and was surprised. He wasn't expecting a beautiful girl with purple eyes and straight black hair with purple highlights to be following them, especially one with a black halter-top, short-shorts, and knee length boots on. In fact, he was surprised she was even allowed in the Touya residence wearing that.

"Come on, this way," Akira said, pulling them to the left.

"But the concert's that way!" Hikaru yelled.

"Well, I guess we have to go around, then." They then ran to the right, then to the right again, only for Akira to run straight into Katsumi.

"Touya, I finally caught you!" Katsumi said.

"That's great, now please get off of me," Akira said, irritated. He was lying flat on the ground with the purple-eyed girl lying on top of him.

"Oh, why? This is comfortable."

Hikaru, who was standing next to them, was beginning to get annoyed at the girl, too. "Can you get off him? We're going to miss the concert."

Katsumi looked up, finally remembering that he was there. "Oh, hi. I don't believe I know you."

"Nor he, you," a very uncomfortable Akira said. "If you get off, I can introduce you."

Katsumi sighed. "Fine." She got up, and then Hikaru grabbed one of Akira's hands to pull him up.

"Thanks," Akira said to Hikaru once he was standing.

"No prob'," Hikaru replied.

"Anyway, Katsumi, this is Hikaru Shindou. He's my rival in Go."

"Oh, your rival? Okay. Well," she said, sticking out her hand, "I'm Katsumi Ido. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too," Hikaru said to be polite. In truth, he _wasn't_ all that pleased. "So, Akira said you're a family friend."

Akira did a face palm, knowing what was coming next.

"I guess you could say that, but we're much closer than that. I plan to marry him, someday."

Hikaru couldn't have looked more shocked. His eyes were wide, he was slouched forward, and his jaw nearly reached the floor. "You _what_?" he got out.

"I said, we're going to get married. Why so surprised?"

"Akira! Why didn't you tell me about this?" Hikaru yelled.

"Because, it's not true! She just goes around saying it, when people ask. I don't even know why," he defended.

"Oh, of course it's true! Father said so! And it's _obviously_ because we're in love. _Duh_."

Hearing that, both boys felt like they had just been stabbed through the heart. Hikaru was heartbroken, and Akira was terrified that Hikaru would believe her.

"We are _not_!" Akira practically yelled.

"Whoa, calm down, Touya. And yes, we _are_," Katsumi replied. "Why would you even say that?"

"Why would you even _think_ that?"

Hikaru stood there, crestfallen. _'So… he's already in love. And he _lied_ to me about it….'_

"Because, it's true," the girl said.

"It's not!"

"It is!"

"Okay, you guys, would you just shut up?" Hikaru yelled, annoyed and hurt. The two stood there, frozen, staring at the partial blond. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked Akira.

The green-haired boy stared at his rival. He could see the hurt in his eyes, and it was almost unbearable to look at. "I already said it's not true."

"Actually," Katsumi said, "it _is_ true. And, besides, why does it even matter?" Hikaru glared at her. "What? I mean, really, you don't need to know _everything_ about him. It's not like you're in love with him or something."

"And what if it is?" Hikaru asked, challenging her. He didn't notice Akira, who stood there, frozen, wide-eyed and shocked speechless.

"Well, it doesn't matter. And you know why?" she asked, haughtily.

"Why?" he seethed.

"Because Akira will never love _you_. He's already in love with _me_."

At that, Hikaru's expression changed from one of hatred to one of defeat. "Fine, then. It's better this way, anyway. Then Monday can go by, and no one will have to worry about him getting hurt." Then, turning around, he added, bitterly, "You two just be happy together." Then he began running, as fast as his legs would carry him.

Katsumi smirked at Hikaru's retreating form and grabbed Akira's hand. This action seemed to unfreeze him. He reached his other hand towards his friend and tried to run forward, but Katsumi held him back. "Hikaru, wait!" he shouted. The partial blond couldn't hear him, though, so his arm fell limp to his side.

Triumphantly, Katsumi said, "How annoying. He ruined our day together."

Akira looked at her and pulled his arm away. "No, _you_ ruined _our_ evening together."

"Sheesh, chill out. So you missed a concert. Big deal. You can just go with me, next time."

"No, I will _not_ be going with you! And yes, it _is_ a big deal!" Akira was furious. He wanted more than almost anything to punch her, but he knew that would end badly. "He thinks I'm in love with you! How am I going to fix this?"

"Fix what?"

"Argh!" Akira groaned, pulling at his hair. "You don't understand a thing, do you?"

"Well, I don't see what I'm missing. Your rival knows you're in love with me. So? I don't get it."

"Of course not, because I'm not in love with you!"

"Why do you keep saying that?" Katsumi asked, clueless.

"Because it's true!"

"How can it be true? Why on earth would you not be in love with me?"

"Because I'm in love with Hikaru!" Akira yelled.

"…."

"…."

"…So… you're gay?" Katsumi asked.

"Yeah, I am. Which is why I'll never be in love with you," he told her, hoping she wouldn't start crying.

"Oh… okay," she replied, nonchalantly. "Well, I guess I'd better tell Father that I can't marry you."

Akira stared at her, dumbfounded. "If it was so unimportant that you can just change your mind, why did you cause this huge mess?"

"Hmm… I don't know. I figured, might as well try. But trying to get a gay guy to love me? Impossible. I guess I'm just not that into you."

"What happened to being in love?"

"Well, you won't love me, so why should I love you?"

Akira sweat-dropped. "That's not quite how it works. If it turns out that Hikaru doesn't love me back, that won't stop me from continuing to love him. I'll love him no matter what."

"In that case, maybe I should help you out a bit." When he looked at her questioningly, she added, "You know, give you some advice.

Akira looked at her, surprised. "Advice? From _you_? And have you ever noticed that you have a lot of mood swings?"

"Yes, I _have_," she said pointedly. "But back to the point. Shindou practically just said he's in love with you. So, I think you should ask him."

Akira sighed. "I'm already planning on it."

"Huh. Okay, well that's good. But you might want to fix things with him quickly."

"I know _that_. Now, I think I'd better go home and plan. I'm running out of time," Akira said, beginning to worry. If he didn't talk to Hikaru in the next two days, he might never be able to again.

"Time?" Katsumi said.

"Yeah. Hikaru only has two days left to live unless I do something about it. That is, if _I'm_ the one he's in love with."

"Interesting."

"Interesting? How?"

"I don't know. It just is."

Akira sweat-dropped again. _'She's not too bright…,'_ he thought. "Well, I need to go. Bye, Katsumi," he said.

"Okay, bye, Touya. See you around." Then she turned and began walking away.

Akira watched her leave. '_She's certainly a lot of trouble to be around. I'm glad I'm not really going to marry her,'_ he thought. _'And why did she do all of that? Now Hikaru's mad at me…."_ He started heading home. _"It's been over an hour since I left home, though, so I'd better wait until tomorrow to find him.'_

And with that, Akira headed home.

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Meanwhile, Waya and Isumi were exiting a nearby Go salon when they saw Hikaru across the street, slouched over and out of breath.

"Shindou!" Waya called as he and Isumi crossed the street, eliciting the younger boy's attention.

Hikaru looked up, his panting calming down. "Oh, Waya, Isumi!"

"Hey, what's up?"

"Why were you running?" Isumi asked.

"Oh… um… just wanted to jog a bit," Hikaru answered, obviously lying.

"Yeah, right," Waya said. "What happened? Something with Touya, I presume?"

Hikaru wasn't even surprised anymore. "Yeah. You know how you said before that he liked me? Well, he doesn't."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's in love with this girl, Katsumi. She's a family friend, and they're engaged, apparently."

Waya and Isumi were staring at him like he grew another head.

"And you believe something like that, _why_?" Waya asked.

"Because she told me! And she said her father said they were going to get married. I just don't know why _he_ wouldn't have told me before…."

"You _idiot_. Touya didn't say anything about it because it's not true!" Waya exclaimed.

"And how would you know that?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Okay," Isumi interrupted. "Shindou, what did Touya have to say about it?"

"Well…" Hikaru looked down. "He said it wasn't true…."

"You _see_? I told you!" Waya yelled, exasperated.

"Why would you listen to her over him, anyway?" Isumi questioned.

"I guess I was upset…." Hikaru sighed. "So, it _isn't_ true?"

"No! He's obviously in love with you, you big dummy!" Waya said.

"Waya!" Isumi chided. But it was too late. Hikaru had already heard him, and now stood there, wide-eyed and unbelieving.

"Oops…." Waya said.

"How do you know?" Hikaru asked, stunned. Before they tell him they _think_ Akira _likes_ him. Now they tell him it's _obvious_ that the green-haired boy _loves_ him?

Isumi sighed. "It's the way he acts, how he gets so flustered and everything around you, and the way he looks at you and talks about you."

"Yeah, you can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. It's obvious to anyone with a face. You're just clueless," Waya said.

Before Hikaru could yell at him, Isumi added, "Also, it's harder to know when you're the one involved."

"But…" Hikaru said, "I just… don't get it…."

"Then ask him yourself," Waya said.

"…."

"Or are you too scared to?" the brunette taunted.

"I am not!" Hikaru screamed.

"Then do it."

"…."

"Waya," Isumi said, "don't make him if he doesn't want to. Knowing Touya, he'll be the first to ask or tell."

"Fine."

"Anyway, Shindou, we were just on our way for sushi. Do you want to join us?"

"Nah," Hikaru said. Then he got an idea. "Hey, do you two want these concert tickets?" He pulled them out of his pocket. "Me and Akira were supposed to go, but since we kinda had a misunderstanding, we aren't. You want them? I'll bet you can get in even though it's late."

Waya took a look at the tickets. "Oh, they're one of my favorite bands! Isumi, wanna go?"

"Sure, but if it runs later than eleven, I need to leave early. I have a game at nine tomorrow," Isumi replied.

"Great. Here you go," Hikaru said, handing them each a ticket. "You might want to hurry. You're already missing part of it."

"Right," Waya said. "See ya, Shindou. And good luck!"

"Thanks, Waya. Bye, Isumi."

"Bye, Shindou," Isumi said, and then the two headed in the direction of the concert.

'_At least those tickets won't go to waste,'_ Hikaru thought. _'Although, really would have liked to go with Akira.'_

As he headed home, he passed the Touya's Go salon. _'I know! It's closed now, but I'll check tomorrow to see if he's there.'_

With this idea in mind, Hikaru finished the walk home, nervous for the next day. As he arrived at his house and opened the door, his mom saw him and said, "Hikaru, you're home early. Did something happen?"

"Yeah, kind of. There was a bit of a misunderstanding."

"Oh, were the tickets fake? Was it the wrong day?"

"No, nothing like that. I actually gave them to Isumi and Waya."

"Ah, so something happened between you and Touya."

'_How did she know that?'_ Hikaru sweat-dropped. "Yeah, but I'm gonna go see him tomorrow. It's my fault, so I gotta go talk to him."

"Oh, okay. Well, we were going to go to grandpa's tomorrow, but since this is important to you, you can stay here," his mother said.

"Great. Thanks for understanding, Mom. And tell Grandpa I'm sorry I couldn't be there."

"Alright. I will." She watched as her son headed up the stairs. "Goodnight, Hikaru."

"Goodnight, Mom," was the reply before she heard his door shut.

'_That boy… he's becoming more polite. Touya's a really good influence on him,'_ she thought._ 'I'm happy for the two of them. I just hope they can sort things out soon, and then I may not have to worry as much.'_ She then returned to the kitchen and continued cleaning, knowing her son was waiting anxiously for tomorrow.

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Thanks for reading! Please _**ReViEw!**_


	9. Chapter 9

Yay, a new chapter! Man, it's been forever- over 8 months! I'm sorry about that but I know no amount of apologies will make up for it, so instead, I'll make the chapters the best they can be! Anyway, this one gets a bit dramatic and doesn't have much Hikaru-Akira romance in it, but it will be coming up in the next chapter! Oh, and sorry it's so short… but I figure you'd rather have an update now than wait and have a longer one in a while.

_PLEASE REVIEW!_

Oh, right. **I NEED HELP.** When I first began this story, I was going to make it M-rated eventually, as in soon, but now I'm not sure if I should. I'll leave that up to you guys! If I don't get enough comments about it, the worst it'll get is T. So REVIEW! :)

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The next day, Hikaru got up early and got dressed, brushed his teeth, and combed his hair. It was Saturday, and he planned on going to see Akira. The misunderstanding from the night before had bothered them both, and now that Hikaru knew that his love was not unrequited, he was anxious to get his feelings out in the open.

Once he finished getting ready, he opened his door and ran down the stairs. "I'm leaving now, Mom!"

"Okay, Hikaru," his mother replied from the kitchen. "I'll tell Grandpa you say hello."

"'Kay, thanks!" Hikaru quickly put his shoes on and headed out the door, making sure it closed behind him.

Hikaru's mom continued to work in the kitchen, washing the dishes for future use. "That boy, he forgot to eat breakfast," she said to herself. She walked over to the table and picked up the plate and silverware she had set out for him. "Oh well, he can eat with Touya."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Coming!" she called, hurrying toward the door. Opening it, she was greeted with a surprise. "Oh, Touya, what are you doing here?"

"Hello, Shindou-san," Akira responded. "I was wondering if I could speak to Hikaru."

"Oh, I'm sorry, he just left to look for you," she said, thinking. "He didn't say where he was going, though." She took another look at Akira. "Are you alright, Touya? Your face is a little bit red."

"Oh, yes, I'm fine. I was just jogging a bit, that's all. Thank you for your concern," he replied with a smile, hiding the fact that he ran so that he could see Hikaru sooner.

Hikaru's mom smiled back. "Well, I'm sure Hikaru's waiting for you, wherever he went off to."

"Ah, I'm sure he is. I should go, then. It was nice seeing you again, Shindou-san," Akira said politely, bowing his head a bit.

"And you, too, Touya. Good luck," she answered back.

As she went inside, Akira turned around and began walking. _'I suppose I shouldn't try running again if it's so noticeable even after I waited a few minutes to ring the doorbell…. Hmm… I wonder where Hikaru went. Knowing him, he'd go to the Go salon if he were looking for me.'_ Deciding his theory was the best clue he had, he headed for his family's Go salon.

Meanwhile, Waya was walking toward the Go Association for a game he was scheduled to play today. He sighed. "What am I supposed to do for the next forty minutes?" he asked himself out loud. All of a sudden, he saw someone very familiar across the street. "Hey, Touya!" he yelled, waving.

Akira looked up. Had someone just called him? He looked around. _'Oh, Waya.'_ He crossed the street and walked up to the other boy. "Hello, Waya."

"Hey, what's up?" Waya replied.

Akira looked at him oddly. "Nothing. Are you okay?"

The older boy looked back, confused. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"You're acting very… cheerful."

Waya glared at him. "So?"

"So you usually aren't this happy when I'm the only one around," Akira defended, putting a hand on his hip.

"Whatever, I was just really bored because my match doesn't start for almost an hour. Anyway, what are you up to?"

"I have a game later, but right now I'm looking for Hikaru," Akira replied calmly.

Waya grinned. "I heard you're engaged to some girl," he said, an evil glint in his eye.

Akira paled. "Did he tell you that? Because it's not true, I swear. That's why I'm looking for him, to tell him that. Have you seen him?" he rambled, nervous.

"Whoa, chill out! I was kidding!" Waya said, worried. "He said that, but Isumi and I forced the truth into him, so it's all okay."

"Oh, good," Akira said, relaxing. He then tensed up again. "Wait, forced _what_ truth?"

"Oh… um… well, you see… I kinda, sorta, maybe said… you're in love with him?" Waya mumbled, afraid of an angry Akira.

3…

2…

1…

"You _what_?" Akira practically yelled, freaking out. Everyone around them looked at him oddly.

"Dude, it's okay! He was really—"

"Touya, I found you!" someone interrupted, grabbing Akira's arm. The two boys turned to see Ogata.

Akira, whose body still remembered the incident from two nights ago, started shivering again. "Ogata-sensei, please let go," he said, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

Waya, understanding why Akira was upset, reached for Ogata's arm. "Oi, let go of him! He's been through enough of this!"

Ogata, realizing they were causing a scene, loosened his grip. "Touya, you're coming with me. We need to have a chat." He glanced at Waya, remembering the fountain incident, and added, "You, too."

"We can't, we have matches!" Waya exclaimed, trying to get them both out of the situation.

"I know for a fact that Touya's match isn't until later this afternoon."

"But I have one now," Waya argued.

"Then go ahead, I can get all the answers I need from Touya," Ogata said.

Knowing Hikaru would kill him for leaving Akira in such a situation, Waya replied, "I'll go with you, but you'd better let us go soon."

"We'll see," Ogata said.

Waya glared. "But first, let go of Touya. You can grab my arm if it matters that much, just let go of him." The brunette held out his arm.

Ogata looked at him oddly. "What does it matter?"

Waya tried to explain, "He had a rather traumatic experience the other day…Oh, just do it, okay? He trusts you enough, so he won't run, and clearly I'm not going anywhere since I gave up my chance already."

"Waya…" Akira said, looking at the older boy with admiration.

Ogata looked at the two, then replied, "Fine." He let go of Akira and grabbed Waya's arm, then practically began to drag him.

"Ogata-sensei, wait," Akira said. "I have to go to my father's Go salon. I have to meet someone there soon."

"Then I guess we'll go there," the man responded.

Akira sighed and started following behind. "Alright, let's go."

And the three were on their way.

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"Welcome," Ichikawa said. "Oh, hello, Shindou-san. I wasn't expecting you today."

"Hey, Ichikawa-san," Hikaru said with a wave as the door closed behind him. "I was just looking for Akira. Is he here?"

"No, I haven't seen him today," she replied.

"Oh… oh well. I have a game in an hour so I have to go soon. I guess I can wait a bit, though," Hikaru told her.

"Alright. I'm sure someone would be happy to play you, if only for a warm-up," she suggested.

"Yeah, thanks. I'll go see." Hikaru headed toward the back of the room, where he usually sat. Instead of sitting at his normal table, he went up the stairs nearby.

"Hey, Miyanaga-san, would you like to play a game with me?" Hikaru asked an older man.

"Ah, sure, Shindou. Is the young Touya not here?" the man asked, curious.

"No, I'm actually waiting to see if he'll come soon, but I have a match later and need to leave soon," Hikaru replied. He went to the other side of the table and took the bowl with the white stones.

"Ah," the old man said, knowingly. "Looking for a warm-up, then?"

Hikaru smiled guiltily. "Kind of, but I really wanted a game, too."

"Okay. Well, I'll take seven stones," Miyanaga said. "I don't want to loose _too_ badly." He chuckled. "And you are the young Touya's rival."

Hikaru smiled as the man put down seven black stones. "Onegaishimasu," Hikaru said, bowing properly.

"Onegaishimasu," the man replied.

They began to play.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ten minutes later, Ogata, Akira, and Waya all walked into the Touya's Go salon. "Hello, Ichikawa-san," Akira said.

"Hello, Touya-kun," the woman replied. "Oh, Ogata-sensei, good morning."

"Good morning," Ogata replied.

"Oh, Ichikawa-san, this is a friend of mine,' Akira said, gesturing to Waya. "Can he get in for free?"

Before she could reply, Waya said, "Actually I'm not here to play Go today."

"Well, in that case, he can get in for free," Ichikawa responded. "And Ogata-sensei can always get in for free."

"Thank you, Ichikawa-san," Ogata said, smiling slightly.

The three headed toward the back of the room, Ogata in the lead. Akira looked back to see his normal table empty. _'So he _isn't_ here.'_ Then he heard a familiar voice.

"That was good, but you should have moved here. And over here, that shouldn't have been played here because once I put a stone here, this whole cluster is dead…."

"Hikaru," Akira said out loud. He began to walk slowly to the voice, ignorant to Ogata's calling. As he walked up the stairs, he saw the partial blonde. "Hikaru, you're here!"

Hikaru turned his head. "Oh, Akira, I was waiting to see if you'd come." He smiled. "I'm glad you did. I have something to tell you."

"Yeah, I need to tell you something, too," Akira replied. "And I need to ask something. But not here."

"Okay." Hikaru turned back to the game. "Miyanaga-san, do you mind if I go?" he asked the older man.

"No, no, go right ahead. It seems your rival needs you," Miyanaga said, smiling cheerfully.

"Thank you." Hikaru bowed his head and stood up, facing Akira. He then noticed Waya and Ogata standing behind the green-haired boy. "Oh, Waya, Ogata-sensei, hi."

"Hey, Shindou," Waya answered back.

"Hello, Shindou," Ogata countered. "I need to talk to you, as well as these two."

Hikaru frowned. "If it's about Sai, you can forget it. It would just confuse you."

Now Ogata frowned. "You know I don't accept that as an answer. Now, who is he?"

Hikaru smirked. "A thousand-year-old spirit who was also Honinbou Shuusaku. Now, if you'll excuse us, we need to go." He walked right past Ogata, grabbing Akira's hand and Waya's arm in the process.

"Hey, hold it, Shindou!" Ogata called.

"Run!" Hikaru yelled.

"Whoa, Hikaru, slow down! This is very rude!" Akira scolded.

"We have no choice, Akira," Hikaru spoke as they ran out of the salon. He let go of Waya's sleeve but held on to Akira's hand. "Besides, I have a match in a half hour."

"Oh, shit!" Waya exclaimed, running alongside them. "Mine starts in ten minutes!"

"Then I guess we'd better hurry!"

The three ran to the Go Association as fast as they could, hoping Ogata wouldn't catch up to them. As they approached the building, they saw Ogata's red car waiting for them.

"Uh oh," Hikaru said. "Looks like we'd better sneak in the back."

Just then, Ogata spotted them.

"You guys go in the back," Akira said. "You both have matches. I'll go the other way to distract him, okay?"

"No way! I'm not leaving you!" Hikaru practically yelled.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Besides, it's not like he's some random drunk. He's a family friend and I trust him," Akira defended. "And maybe I trust him to much, but I'll be cautious anyway. So you two need to get to your matches. Now go!" Hikaru and Waya just looked at him. "You guys, go while you have the chance!"

The two looked at each other, then nodded, and Waya headed for the door.

Hikaru looked back at Akira. "Be careful," he said, and leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek. Then he backed up, a longing look in his eyes, and turned around and ran.


	10. Chapter 10

Okay, it's finally here! I know this took a long, long time, and I'm so sorry! I added a twist to my original plan, which will hopefully be extremely exciting! Well, technically there are two twists, and they're the biggest events in this chapter.

I hope you like this! I had over half of it done forever ago (2 days after I last updated), but I never finished. I decided to do it now so I could upload this. It's super exciting! Also, I decided I'm not too great at writing lemons so this is going to remain T. If you'd like proof, read my Eyeshield 21 fic, Frustration.

Oh, all you Yu-Gi-Oh! fans out there, please check out my newest fic, Stand Together! It's my dream world from about five years ago. (No, it's not about me nor does it include me in any way, shape, or form! Excluding the words, of course!) I hope you'll take a look!

Anyway, on to chapter 11!

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_Hikaru looked back at Akira. "Be careful," he said, and leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek. Then he backed up, a longing look in his eyes, and turned around and ran._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Akira reached a hand to his cheek. _'Did Hikaru just kiss me?'_ he thought, his mind muddled.

"What… was _that_?" Ogata asked, frozen in spot.

Akira, remembering he wasn't alone, turned toward Ogata. Then, thinking through the situation and realizing the good chance he had, he spun around and dashed the opposite way Hikaru went.

Ogata, who was _extremely_ confused, didn't register Akira's escape until a moment later. "Crap."

He ran to his car and jumped in, slamming the door behind him, then turned the vehicle on and sped out of the parking lot in the direction Akira went.

Meanwhile, Hikaru had escaped into the building after Waya, running to catch up to him.

"Waya!" he yelled to the other pro as the elevator arrived.

"Yeah, Shindou?" the older boy answered, getting on. Hikaru followed as they headed to the floor where the matches were held.

"Will Akira be okay out there?"

Waya frowned, and then smiled a bit as realization dawned on him. "Yeah, he will, so don't be such a worry wart. Just cause the love of your life is being chased by someone who's practically _family_ so the guy can ask him a _question_ doesn't mean it's the end of the world."

Now a red-faced Hikaru frowned and crossed his arms, turning to the side. "Okay, sheesh, Waya. You don't have to be a jerk about it."

Waya ignored that. "Anyway, don't let it distract you, okay? Make sure you concentrate like you usually would, or Touya's gonna kick your ass for it." Hikaru looked at him, understanding. "He wouldn't want you to loose because you're worrying about him." The two locked eyes in an intense moment. "Win, Shindou. Win for Touya."

As the two of them got off the elevator upstairs, Hikaru began to grin. "Of course I'll win. I can't let my rival get too far ahead of me, can I?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Akira kept running and running until he couldn't run any more. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough, because his family's Go salon was still a couple blocks away. Just as he stood up and began to walk in its direction, an extremely familiar red vehicle pulled over next to him.

Ogata rolled the window down, "Touya, just get in. I need to speak with you about something, and I think we've both realized you can't outrun my car."

Akira looked down, defeated. He opened the car door and sat down, closing it after him.

"What did you want to talk about, Ogata-sensei?" he asked as Ogata started driving again.

"Well… do you mind… if I talk to you about… something personal?" Ogata asked tentatively.

Akira looked up, dumbfounded. _'Is he… unsure? And he's asking me if I would mind?'_

Akira calmed down a bit and looked at him warily. "Um… sure."

"You won't run?" Akira shook his head, worried. "Even if it's about Sai?"

The younger pro's eyes widened a bit. "I… I won't run. But that doesn't mean I can answer everything you ask."

Ogata sighed, a far-off look in his eyes. "Fair enough." He pulled to a stop in a parking spot and turned the car off.

"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but… are you and Shindou… dating?" Ogata asked.

Akira blushed. "Not yet, but…" he trailed off.

Ogata smiled a bit. "Do you know how old Sai is?"

Akira was a bit thrown off by the change in topic. "Um…" he stalled, unsure. _'I can't just tell him that Sai's a one-thousand-year-old spirit who was once Hikaru's ghost….'_ He then thought of an idea. "…He looks around twenty-five," he finished. Ogata appeared to be surprised. "Why do you want to know?"

"He's twenty-five?" Ogata questioned, forgetting Akira's inquiry. "Only twenty-five? With _that_ skill?"

"I don't know," Akira replied, smoothly. "He looks like he is, though."

Ogata sighed. "It's hard to believe… but I'm glad."

Akira looked at him questioningly. "Why?"

Ogata ignored his question. "And Sai's definitely a 'he'?"

"Yeah." The blond pro looked a bit worried. "Why?"

"Because… I… I think I'm in love."

Akira's eyes narrowed a bit, making his confusion obvious. "But that doesn't explain—" he froze, his eyes wide. "…With Sai?"

Ogata nodded, blushing a bit. _'I'm acting so out of character,'_ he thought.

After slightly getting over the shock, Akira sighed. "I swear, the whole world is turning gay."

"Hah!" Ogata laughed. "I think Shindou's a good influence on you."

"And I think you should keep your distance from Kuwabara-sensei."

Ogata's eyes widened and he put a hand over his face. "Shit, you're right."

Akira smiled. "I wouldn't worry about it."

Ogata sighed again and removed his hand from his face. "I suppose." He was deep in thought.

Akira was absorbed in thought, too. _'I can't believe Ogata-sensei's in love with Sai… but I feel bad for him, since Sai isn't alive….'_ He looked at Ogata. "Ogata-sensei?"

The older pro turned to him. "Yes?"  
>Akira frowned. "How do you know? That you love him, I mean? Because, you've never even met him, so…."<p>

"Well," Ogata started, leaning back with his head resting on his hand. "I'm in love with his go." He smiled. "A person is his go, right? You can learn who they are from it."

Akira, remembering Sai's personality from Hikaru's stories, wondered, "And what do you think he's like?"

"Hmm…" Ogata thought. "He's so strong, so I'd assume he's seen quite a bit."

'_True,'_ Akira thought. _'He's lived a thousand years. I'd say he's seen a lot.'_

"And he can change his strength, depending on his opponent, "Ogata continued, "so he's kind, And I'd guess that he almost has… multiple personalities. For example, when he plays Go, he's serious, but otherwise, he's how he normally acts. Which, looking at his love of Go, I'd have to say he's probably rather…. Childish, yet caring." He looked back toward the younger pro. "Does that make sense?"

Akira was watching the emotions change on his face. _'He _does_ love him….'_ Outwardly, he said, "You know him well, Ogata-sensei. Hikaru would be surprised."

Ogata raised an eyebrow. "So, Shindou _does_ know him?"

Akira looked out the window sadly. "He used to, but I'm afraid he's only spoken to him once in years."

A depressed look appeared on Ogata's face. "Is that so? I was hoping he could help me find him."

"Well, I can talk to him but don't get your hopes up. I don't think there's much he can do."

Ogata half smiled. "Alright, thank you, Touya."

"You're welcome." He grinned.

"Oh, right. About you and Shindou," Ogata said, leaning forward in the car. "You really aren't dating?" Akira blushed.

"No…" the green-haired teen started, looking down. "I want to be, but… we haven't gotten there yet."

"I think you should tell him."

"What?" Akira asked, surprised.

"I think you should tell him."

"…I was going to. That's why I was looking for him this morning."

Ogata looked at him guiltily. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I'll talk to him about it after his match."

Ogata looked at the clock in the car. "Was he going to wait for you afterwards?"

Akira looked at him oddly. "Probably, why?"

"Because his match probably ended. And yours is starting in an hour."

"Then I guess I need to hurry," Akira spoke. "Can you drive me there?"

"It's the least I can do after the inconvenience I've caused you," Ogata replied. He started his car again and pulled out of the parking spot.

The two drove back to the Go Association, Ogata extremely relieved about telling someone his feelings and Akira slightly nervous about telling a certain someone his feelings. The car was silent the entire time, and as they pulled in front of the building, the silence was broken.

"Okay, Touya. Good luck," Ogata said as Akira opened the car door and climbed out.

"Thank you, Ogata-sensei. I hope you will stop chasing Hikaru now, though," the green-haired boy replied.

Ogata laughed embarrassedly. "I will. Tell him I'm sorry about that."

"Okay. Goodbye," Akira said, closing the car door behind him. Before it shut, he grabbed it and looked back into the car. "Just so you know, that scene of you falling into the fountain ended up on Youtube." He then left after watching Ogata's eyebrow twitched as he attempted to force a smile.

Akira walked into the Go Association and went straight to the floor with the waiting room. As he walked through the hallways looking for Hikaru, he got a lot of strange looks. He was glad once he got into a secluded area. As usual, people had been gossiping about him and his skills. They rarely ever talked about Hikaru, but since _his_ father was Touya ex-Meijin….

Suddenly, Akira stopped as he heard Waya's voice. "Dude, I know you love the guy, but you can't let him affect the way you play." Akira's eyes widened and he continued to listen to the conversation from the place where he stopped, hidden behind a wall. "I warned you before you went in there."

There was a loud sigh. "I know, Waya. But honestly, I did my best. And I still won. Just because my game is usually better doesn't mean I did badly. And besides, I was worried about him."

'_Worried about who?'_ Akira thought. _'The guy he was playing? Did he feel bad about crushing him because he loves him?'_

"I know, Shindou. But still. Touya wouldn't be happy to hear you talking like this."

As Akira listened on, the conversation seemed to point more and more toward the direction of his theory.

"Yeah, well, Akira isn't here, so I can talk about whatever I want."

'_Do I cause him that much trouble? And is he really in love with some guy he played?'_ Akira's thoughts were a jumbled mess. He didn't want to hear any more; he didn't want to know if his theory was correct. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Hikaru walked around the corner. He banged into Akira, their foreheads hitting, causing them both to fall down. It was too bad for Akira that he ended up on the bottom.

Hikaru looked at the boy lying under him. "Akira?"

The other go player attempted a smile. "Hello, Hikaru."

"Why are you here?"

"Well—" he started, but was interrupted by Waya.

"How much of that did you hear?"

Akira frowned, looking at Waya who stood over the two. "I heard enough." He then looked back at Hikaru's face. "Hikaru, I need to know. Are you in love with someone else?"

Hikaru's eyes widened. "No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

"I heard you talking about your opponent and you being in love with some guy. You don't need to lie to me."

Hikaru frowned, glaring intensely yet softly into Akira's eyes. "I'm not in love with some random guy. I'm in love with _you._"

Akira's own eyes widened as he stared up at Hikaru's bright green ones. "_Me?_" he whispered, shocked. He had thought of the possibility, but actually hearing it was an entirely different story!

"Yeah, _you_, silly," Hikaru replied, lifting a hand from next to his love's shoulder to gently stroke his cheek. "I love _you_, Touya Akira."

Slowly, very slowly, Akira's face broke into a wide smile. He reached up and wrapped his arms around Hikaru's neck, pulling him down until their lips meet. They laid there peacefully for a short moment, attached at the lip, and then Hikaru pulled back and opened his eyes.

"I love you too, Hikaru," Akira said, beaming up at him.

Sadly, this little bubble of happiness had to be popped, and who better to do it than Waya?

"Um… guys," the brunette said, interrupting their moment, "we have a problem. A _big_ problem."

The two looked back at him, confused.

"What?" they asked.

Waya pointed past them. "That's what."

The two looked to where Waya was pointing, only to have a flash temporarily blind them.

"I can't believe this!" a man said from four feet away from the two protégées. "I got a photo of the two greatest young Go pros _kissing_! This is going to be a headline for sure!" he exclaimed, then made a run for it before anyone could steal his camera.

"Oh, _shit_," Akira said, trying not to freak out. He didn't even want to _think_ about how the Go world would react to _that_ one.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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